LAST week, key stakeholders in the transport sector met in Dar es Salaam to deliberate on issues that push cost of doing business, particularly along the Dar es Salaam corridor extending from the port to Tunduma, Lusaka and Lubumbashi.

The meeting attracted members from the Tanzania Truck Owners Association (TATOA), Tanzania’s Ambassador to the DRC, Mr Anthony Cheche, and Tanzania Drivers Workers Union (TADWU). Transporters identified various areas and factors that cause delays in the whole transport chain from the Dar es Salaam port, traffic jam, weighing bridges and checkpoints as well as at the border post.
They asked the government to intervene to reduce the cost of doing business. More investment have been directed into the improvement of the central corridor from Dar port to Kigali and Bujumbura and very little extended to the Dar es Salaam corridor from the Dar port to Lubumbashi and Lusaka. Statistics show that about 4 million tons are served through the Dar es Salaam corridor to DRC and Zambia annually and only less than a million tones ferried through the Central Corridor to Kigali and Bujumbura.
This gives clear indication that the Dar es Salaam corridor is earning the country substantial amount of revenues compared to the central corridor. Thus the government should consider removing road impediments to foster timely delivery of transit goods and improve its competitiveness in the Dar es Salaam corridor. They said despite the improvements made on network systems intended to increase cargo clearance efficiency at the port, it still takes more than a day for a truck to be loaded with a cargo even after completing clearance procedures.
Similarly, the congestions from the Dar port to the Misugusugu weighbridge is another area mentioned in the meeting that cause delays and increasing cargo delivery days. They were also worried by the huge number of weighing bridges of about seven along the Dar-Tunduma route. Similarly, the considerable number of check points along the route is another reason for the delays and increased transport costs. Recent survey shows that trucks experience considerable delays, due to several stops they make along the transit routes.
On average each driver spends 16 hours per trip. This contributes to the increase in the cost of logistics. The time spent on transport and logistics in Tanzania is relatively longer compared to other countries in the region, making Tanzania uncompetitive in the global market. Police checkpoints are unpredictable one must stop only when ordered to by police. It is not clear at the moment why there are still many checks and stops and what are their significance to the economy, as all checks go over the same process and repeat the same procedures done in the previous locations.
There is compelling evidence in terms of logistical costs that these impediments do more harm than good to the economy. When goods are timely delivered to their respective destinations, the efficiency of the economy is improved and so is the country’s revenues. It is still not clear at the moment why checks like weighbridges, checkpoints and police that goes over the same process and repeat the same procedures done in the previous locations. Despite the discussions with the respective authorities including the Police Force, checkpoints and corruption have continued to be among serious problems for smooth flow of business in this route.
At the meeting transporters recommended police checks to be enforced if and only if there is a probable cause for such enforcement and weighing checks minimised to two points at the port and final check at border exit point applicable to all transit routes. The inefficiency and road impediments if not checked will plunge the government into substantial loss of the huge business with Zambia and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The nearest ports namely Beira, Walvis Bay in Namibia, Durban in South Africa and Angola have started to capitalize on the port inefficiency and road blocks. The construction of 1,344 kms of a railway line to connect Angola, Lusaka and Lubumbashi has reached advanced stage and would provide them with the new option to replace the Dar es Salaam port. In Angola, for example, apart from railway construction, they have provided them enough space for handling containers destined for DRC and Zambia.
Apart from the Angola route, transporters are risking of losing the business of transit oil to Beira port where heavy investment has been put on fuel storage facilities. It is high time we paused for a reality check on whether these enforced stops hold any value to the government and significance to the economy.
Source: Business News

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