The plan for the construction of the Kigoma land port has been revived

Adela Madyane-Kigoma

Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) will build a dry port in Congo DR targeting to reduce cargo transport costs and wastage of time

TPA Director General Erick Hamissi said during a bilateral technical meeting between the United Republic of Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) aimed at enhancing business relations in the transport sectors

“We have agreed to construct a dry port in DRC so that all cargoes shipment can be managed directly from Dar-es-Salaam port to Kalemi the act that will attract more traders to use the port and hence increase profit,” said Hamis

He said regardless of huge cargoes from Tanzania to the DRC market they manage only 40% of the trade which is still low and must be upgraded by expanding ports infrastructures that will accelerate the trading between the two countries

“The port in Kigoma is under renovation and is currently in good status, the port in Kalema is at 70% expected to be handled to the government in July 2022, we have also managed to increase by 31% the shipment of cargoes from 1.9 tonnes in 2020-2021 to 2.5 in 2021-2022,” said Hamissi

On the side of Baraka Mdima, the director of the engineering service from TPA said a dry port in Katosho with 62 hectares is currently waiting for the second implementation of constructing containers for storing cargoes and that they have given 10 hectares to DRC for them to manage their cargoes from Dar-es-Salaam

On behalf of the Congolese ambassador to Tanzania, Mr. Ricky Mulema said Kalemie port needs to be upgraded as it is full of sand and sinking ships to increase trade efficiency between the two countries.

Addressing the matter Gabriel Migire Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Work and Transport said the there must be a partnership between railway, ports, and air authorities between the two countries so that they can fast track and see challenges aligning and work on them to improve the infrastructures, especially in DRC

About the Katosho dry port, the permeant secretary said there is plenty of cargo but the capacity to serve is limited and asked the TPA to generate a land-use plan as a guidance tool to be completed at the end of August and start the implementation