Leading Dar es Salaam port stakeholders have called on government to create separate ministries for maritime and railway transport.
Tanzania Shipping Agents Association (Tasaa), Tanzania Freight Forwarders Association (Taffa) and the Container Depot Association of Tanzania (CDAT) advised president-elect Dr John Pombe Magufuli that doing so was the only optimal solution to address chronic problems facing the industry, reports Tanzanian newspaper, Guardian.
The bodies added that sorting out the port’s transport and logistics backbone would spur economic growth and create development opportunities for the maritime sector. Also that a strong and efficient railway network was needed to ship away cargo from Dar es Salaam port – currently dominated by road transport, because the current rail network is plagued with labour and financial troubles.
If properly managed, the bodies stressed that Dar es Salaam port has capacity to significantly contribute to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) because it serves six landlocked countries – and with 90% of the country’s imports and exports going through the prime port.
With the presence of three seaports and another three lakes in the country, maritime is a major industry which, alongside railways, needs its own ministry, they concluded.
