Africa-Press – Tanzania. PLAYERS in the regional maritime industry have given a nod to Tanzania’s plan of constructing the ambitious Bagamoyo port project.
They described the project as a good strategy which will reduce pressure on both the Port of Dar es Salaam and that of Mombasa.
Mr Daniel Mwanza Kiange, a Secretary General of the Inter-Governmental Standing Committee on Shipping (ISCOS) exuded confidence in the prospects of the proposed port, saying it will spur economic activities within the East African Community (EAC).
“The Bagamoyo Port project is very crucial to the region as partner states are still coping with low intra-regional trade,” opined Mr Kiange.
The ISCOS Secretary General who was fielding questions from journalists, on the sidelines of a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) signing with the East African Business Council (EABC) recently, was optimistic that the proposed port will allow cargo to move faster and reduce waiting charges, and complex freight clearance procedures which have for years been an Achilles’ heel at Dar es Salaam and Mombasa airports.
“We commend the government of Tanzania for such an initiative, with the Democratic Republic of Congo joining the EAC, the port of Bagamoyo will absorb the pressure on Dar es Salaam and Mombasa,” he observed.
According to the ISCOS official, the port of Dar es Salaam had by 2020, handled over 700,000twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) of cargo capacity and another 16.01million metric tonnes of cargo. The Mombasa port on the other hand, had in the same time cleared more than 1.36million TEU, while also handled 34.12 million metric tonnes of cargo.
Speaking here last week, Works and Transport Minister Makame Mbarawa revealed that talks on the $10 billion stalled port project on the eastern coast of the country were at an advanced stage, signalling good economic fortunes for Tanzania and the EAC in general.
The project will turn the country into a regional transportation hub, according to the Minister. Earlier, EABC Executive Director John Bosco Kalisa decried the regional lack of competitiveness. The boss of the regional business council also noted with concern the high trade costs among EAC partner states, saying it was tantamount to the declining intra-regional trade.
“We need to improve our export basket if we are to reap benefits of the African Continental Free Trade Area,” he said.
Commenting on the MoC, Mr Kalisa said the partnership seeks to ease maritime, shipping, transport and trade logistics in the EAC bloc.
According to the EABC boss, ports in the region were faced with a myriad of challenges such as congestion, delays, complex freight clearance procedures and inadequate storage and berthing facilities, noting that such a partnership will enhance consultations with service providers on the best practices of reducing high cost of doing business, investment and shipping logistics in the region.
“Trade facilitation in the maritime industry is vital for the EAC bloc to boost its competitiveness in light of AfCFTA and the global market,” he opined.
Based in Mombasa, is a regional Organisation formed in 1967 by the Member States of Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia to take care of their common Shipping, Maritime and Logistics Interests. In fulfillment of its mandate, and in recognition of the international nature of Shipping and Logistics, ISCOS works and collaborates with a wide range of stakeholders both regionally and internationally.
It is a preferred point of reference for surface and sea transportation matters affecting the region and continues to be the main interface between the regions’ Shippers (cargo owners) and the greater shipping world.
For More News And Analysis About Tanzania Follow Africa-Press
