Dar chairs CCTTFA, vows transport costs reduction

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Dar chairs CCTTFA, vows transport costs reduction
Dar chairs CCTTFA, vows transport costs reduction

Africa-PressTanzania. TANZANIA has been handed the Central Corridor Transit Transport Facilitation Agency (CCTTFA) chairmanship for one year after Rwanda’s term expired.

Member states – Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Rwanda and Uganda, unanimously approved Tanzania’s chairmanship.

Receiving the mantle,the Minister for Works and Transport, Eng. Leonard Chamuriho Eng Chamuriho said his strategy would focus on looking at all types of transport prioritised in the infrastructures to reduce costs of transporting goods, delay and related logistic challenges traders face in the business.

Handing over the chairmanship to Tanzania, Eng Chamuriho, during the 11th session of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Central Corridor held virtually to launch the institution’s five- year strategic plan (2021 – 2025), Rwanda’s Minister of Infrastructure, Ambassadors Claver Gatete said the CCTTFA has once come home in Tanzania, where it’s headquartered is Dar es Salaam.

He said the institutional strategic plan for the next five years will be divided into five main sections that cover all modes of transport (water, railways, and roads) as well as the relevant infrastructure.

“The first section manages water, rail and road transport infrastructure; the second section will focus on strengthening the transportation sector and increasing commercial competitiveness in the central corridor,” he said.

He said the third component is to improve the policy and governance of institutions involved in the transportation sector, while the fourth part is issues of coordination, monitoring and communication within the central corridor institution. Part five is to move the central corridor into a value corridor to add value.

Various transportation projects have been identified in the strategic plan which will be implemented by the central corridor institution for all five members.

The main projects highlighted in the strategic plan are the construction of a modern railway SGR (Uvinza – Musongati 240KM), construction and rehabilitation of ports in Bujumbura, Rumonge and Kabonga in Burundi and the construction of an international road between Tanzania and Burundi (Rumonge- Gitaza-Kabingo- Kasulu-Manyovu).

Others are modern railway from Isaka-Kigali, Rwanda, construction of cargo scales in Rwanda, construction and rehabilitation of various ports in DR Congo for example ports of Kalemie, Bukavu and Goma, shipbuilding freight on Lake Tanganyika and Victoria and many other projects.

“These projects will be funded by grants from the governments of the respective countries as well as development partners such as the European Union (EU), the African Development Bank (AFDB) Central Bank (World Bank), German Development Agency (Giz), Trade Mark East Africa (TMEA) and others,” he pointed out.

In the analysis, the number of foreign registered transit trucks carrying cargo has increased significantly from less than 6 percent to 12.4 percent in 2020 with Tanzania registered transit trucks still dominating the market.

In the report it was noted that the increment of transit trucks can be attributed to the harmonisation of road user charges and significant improvements on the Central Corridor in terms of handling at the Dar es Salaam Port as well as road infrastructure that are encouraging other transporters to operate along the corridor.

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