Zambian importers and exporters stand to benefit from investments at gateway ports on both the west and east coasts.
Walvis Bay on the west coast is in the process of building a new container terminal, and the World Bank announced in July that it had approved US$345 million in credit combined with a US$12- million grant to increase the capacity of Dar es Salaam to 25 million tons over the next seven years.
The Dar es Salaam Maritime Gateway Project (DSMGP) is expected to reduce waiting time to berth from 80 hours to 30 hours, as well as overall productivity.
It is part of a larger ongoing investment programme for the overall development of the port with the support of several development partners.
The government of Tanzania is contributing about US$63 million through Tanzania Ports Authority, while Trade Mark East Africa is supporting improvements in the spatial and operational efficiency of the port through the rehabilitation of access and egress roads and the relocation of sheds.
The United Kingdom, through its Department for International Development (DFID), has contributed a US$12-million grant.
This support will co-finance the activities in the DSMGP, and further support is available for capacity-building programmes in institutions like Bandari College, the vocational training facility run by TPA, the Dar Maritime Institute, and the College of Engineering and Technology at the University of Dar es Salaam.
The port of Dar es Salaam currently has 11 berths, with seven of these dedicated to general cargo (including container, dry bulk, break bulk and RoRo operations) and four to container operations.
The port handled 13.8 million tons in 2016, up from 13.1 million in 2013, and 10.4 million in 2011, reflecting an average growth of 9% per year over the last five years.
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Gateway project to reduce waiting time to berth from 80 hours to 30
