UTILISE PORT OF DAR TO ITS MAXIMUM POTENTIAL
What you need to know:
- This urgent need to improve performance of the Dar es Salaam port in order to make it more competitive is based on the fact that most of the importers in the East African region prefer Mombasa due to what they say is efficiency and reduced number of border points
Calls by the minister for construction and transport, Prof Makame Mbarawa that the Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) should focus on improving performance of the Port of Dar es Salaam should be heeded as Tanzania strives to become a regional transportation hub.
Yes, we have seen major headways recorded in recent times, with trade between Tanzania and neighbouring countries reaching record levels, for example; for the first time in many years Tanzania actually had a higher export ratio in its bilateral trade with Kenya. However, more needs to be done in order to fully optimize the potential of the Dar es Salaam port.
As rightly stated by Prof Mbarawa, focus should be beyond targeting the local market. This call comes with the realization that East Africa is served by two major corridors with the main one being the 1,700 kilometre Northern Corridor that runs from Kenya, to Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. However, due to rising political heat, importers might opt to use the 1,300 kilometre long Central Corridor serving Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda and Eastern DRC, with an exit and entry point at the port of Dar es salaam. This presents a unique opportunity for Tanzania to capitalize on the massive trade that will ensue, thereby strengthening the positioning of the Dar es Salaam port.
Additionally, this urgent need to improve performance of the Dar es Salaam port in order to make it more competitive is based on the fact that most of the importers in the East African region prefer Mombasa due to what they say is efficiency and reduced number of border points. Why, then, can’t the Dar es Salaam port move a step further by streamlining cargo clearance?
One of the hurdles, as identified by experts and the government which in part could also be a solution, is the under-utilisation of Inland Container Depots (ICD). ICDs, when fully utilized will help reduce congestion at the Dar es Salaam port and improve cargo clearance to a large extent.
While TPA was celebrating the welcoming of one of the largest cargo vessels to ever dock at the Dar es Salaam port, the celebrations were minimized when focus was shifted to improving services at the port. This provides a bit of a view into government priorities moving forward, it also signifies that mediocrity is not a state that should be hailed while others are recording even bigger milestones.
The future is promising
What was refreshing to see, was the TPA’s willingness to steer the Dar es Salaam port to more prosperous waters in terms of attracting more clients. As highlighted by the TPA director general Eric Hamis, the recent achievements at the Dar es Salaam port were due to ongoing improvements at the port which continue to make them more confident of winning more businesses and onboarding bigger consignments of mixed cargo and other services. This is a clear indication that work is being done to make the Dar es Salaam port the leading transportation hub in East and Central Africa. What needs to be done now is to clear some of the stumbling blocks that are impeding this drive by the government working hand-in-hand with the private sector.
