Malawi-Tanzania dispute worries Ibam
The Indigenous Business Association of Malawi (Ibam) says they are worried with the continued border row between Malawi and Tanzania over Lake Malawi.
Ibam says the dispute is slowly instilling fears in their members, especially those utilising the Dar es Salaam Port and Songwe Border to clear their goods.
In an interview on Monday, Ibam president Mike Mlombwa asked Lilongwe and Dodoma to swiftly resolve the wrangle.
He said Tanzania handle a lot of imports for Malawi, Zambia, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Both Malawi and Tanzania are members of the Southern Africa Development Community (Sadc) and informal trade between them plays a significant role to livelihoods of their people.
Importers of Used Cars Association of Malawi general secretary Madalitso Chodzadza agreed with Mlombwa, saying the dispute has created fear in its members.
“I was in Tanzania last week and everything was normal but if the situation worsens, it may affect our business,†he said.
Most members of the association import vehicles from China and Japan through the port of Dar es Salaam.
Two weeks ago, President Joyce Banda ordered the Malawi team to withdraw from the dialogue with Tanzania and that Lilongwe will refer the issue to the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
She argued that Tanzania has breached trust after producing a new map showing the new boundary as being in the middle of the northern part of Lake Malawi and not at the eastern shores.
But Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Ephraim Mganda Chiume is on record to have said that the dialogue has resumed.
