By KENNEDY MUPESENI and CHATULA KANGALI –
THE Government should consider decentralising the issuance of export permits for the country to participate effectively in regional trade.
Southern African Cross Border Traders Association Zambia Chapter  (SACBTA) general secretary Jacob Makambwe said access to permits was hindering members to effectively participate in regional and
international trade.
“We need a decentralised system to enable an exporter easily accessible services in a localised manner unlike the current situation where everything is done in Lusaka,” Mr Makambwe said.
He said in an interview that Zambia was a global village hence the need to decentralise the issuance of export permits.
Mr Makambwe said cross border traders in the country and elsewhere were largely small scale who could not afford to travel to Lusaka each time they wanted to export some products.
He said to stabilise the country’s economy, there was need to increase exports and achieve import substitution.
Mr Makambwe said stability of the local currency cannot be sustained if exports were not increased.
He said the country needed to position itself to gain from the Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA).
Mr Makambwe urged the Government to work on removing barriers to trade if the country could drive maximum benefits from the tripartite arrangement.
Meanwhile, the Zambia Union of Financial Institutions And Allied Workers  (ZUFIAW) has urged Government to fully exploit the cross-border trade between Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
President Ackim Mweemba said in an interview that there was need for the country to exploit the full potential of cross-border trade at Kasumbalesa border post.
He said that trade between the two countries could help the Zambia earn the much needed foreign   exchange.
Mr  Mweemba said a number of Zambian products such as cement, farm produce and livestock, were on high demand in the DRC.
Government in August last year signed a trade agreement with DRC that will allow the two countries import goods from each other on dutyfree basis.
The trade agreement would also adopt measures to deal with unfair trade and curbing of smuggling.