THE government is poised to reap huge profit from Kasanga Port, which is currently undergoing expansion, following the construction of a strategic road stretching from Sumbawanga Municipality to the terminal.
The early signs of good performance of the terminal were seen on Saturday afternoon when the ‘Daily News’ witnessed a fleet of trucks from Mbeya Region riding to the harbour to offload cement cargo destined for Burundi with drivers and a ship captain expressing their appreciations to the government for constructing a 110-kilometre carriageway.
A truck driver from Triple S Company Mr Elias Sadala, who transports cement cargo from Mbeya Cement to the terminal which is in Kalambo District, said riding on rough road from Sumbawanga to the terminal in those days was like hell on earth.
“Sincerely speaking we remain thankful to the government for improving transport infrastructures, including roads and ports as it also helps us improve our incomes,” he said.
Ambrose Nkoswe, also truck driver said: “We sincerely thank President John Magufuli for this road project. We did not expect this carriageway to be in this state that we witness today.”
But, Mr Yusuf Mwangupili, who also drives a truck, gave his shocking testimony, saying during the dark days it would take up to two days riding between Sumbawanga and Kasanga Port, a situation that significantly reduced cargo at the terminal.
“With the construction of this road and the ongoing expansion of the port the flow of cargo to the terminal will significantly improve.
Previously you could see only one or two lorries offloading cargo at the terminal but currently one can witness between eight and 20 trucks arriving here to offload cargo per day,” he said.
“Given the little time that we now spend on the road between Mbeya and Kasanga Port we (drivers) can now make savings from our allowances as opposed to the past,” Mr Mwangupili said.
The captain of MV Rwegura, a cargo ship that was found at the terminal loading cement cargo destined for Burundi, Mr Mbonyumuvumi Michael appreciated the ongoing expansion of Kasanga port, saying the habour would now have ample space to allow more than one ship to dock at a time.
He also hailed the government for constructing Sumbawanga- Kasanga Port road to the tarmac level as it would now increase the flow of cargo to the terminal.
“As you can see now, if you arrive here and find a ship loading cargo you have to wait at the outer anchorage as the berth can’t allow more than one ship to dock at a time due to insufficient space.
In so doing you waste time and money but this expansion will do away with all these problems,” he said. Kasanga Port, which is the second largest terminal in Lake Tanganyika after Kigoma terminal and the largest habour in Rukwa Region, is undergoing expansion by the Tanzania Ports Authority ( TPA) at the cost of 4.76bn/-.
According to Kigoma Port Manager, who is in charge of all ports in Lake Tanganyika, Mr Percival Salama, the project involves lengthening its berth from 20 to 120 metres to enable more than one ship to dock at once and building residential houses for TPA staff.
The terminal would also have its open cargo storage area (wharf) reinforced to keep loose and containerized cargo after offloading from ships.
Showing how important the terminal was for the country’s economy Mr Salama said from 2014/15 financial year to 2018/19 all ports in Lake Tanganyika generated 18bn/- in revenue with Kasanga Port alone contributing 19 per cent of the collections.
According to the port manager, little revenue collected from all Tanganyika ports was contributed by poor performance of Tanzania Railway Corporation (TRC) and little number of ports that were operating during the financial years under review.
He said only Kasanga port which was first constructed between 1995 and 1998 and Kigoma terminal built between 1922 and 1927 were operating.
The two terminals serve cargo destined for DR Congo, Burundi, Zambia and Rwanda.
