EAST African Community Legislative Assembly (EACLA), members have commended Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA), for the ongoing Dar es Salaam Port improvements seeking to increase efficiency in service delivery.

The Chairperson of the Legislative’s Regional Affairs and Conflict Resolution Committee, Mr Abdullah Mwinyi, gave the praise during a tour of his committee to the Port yesterday. “We are here to witness development which affects our countries in one way or another,” he noted. The group toured various areas at the Port including the Tanzania International Container Terminal Ltd (TICTS).
Mr Mwinyi expressed the committee’s satisfaction especially 24/7 hours service at the Port; Electronic payment system, safety, efficiency improvement in on loading and off loading of cargo. However, he cautioned that there was urgent need to revive the central railway line and enable it serve cargo passing through the Port. “More than 90 per cent of cargo is transported by road; there is need to make the central line work and connect it with the Port,” he stressed.
The Acting Dar es Salaam Port Manager, Mr Hebel Mhanga said the authority is working hard to make it one of the biggest and efficient ports in the region and Africa at large. “We have assured them that no cargo will be lost at this Port and that we shall not pass illegal consignments here,” he said. He explained that plans were ongoing to start scanning of on transit goods as it is the practice for local goods.
The exercise will be carried out in collaboration with the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA). A member of the committee, Ms Hafsa Mossi from Burundi commended the ongoing work and called upon TPA to work even harder to attract more business people. “Burundi and other regional countries use this port, make sure it performs well for the benefit of all,” she noted.
Some of the ongoing modernisation projects include enhancing its spatial efficiency through demolition and relocation of sheds 2-7, upgrading roads and gates to introduce a single way traffic flow system at the Port, improving productivity and operational processes. Also, the government and other stakeholders work on modernizing the Port by improving its physical infrastructure capacity and operational efficiency.
Source: Daily News

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