OF the five East Africa Community (EAC) member states, only Tanzania and Kenya have ports that provide gateway to other countries. Tanzania, however, has an upper hand since she has more seaports than Kenya, which has only Mombasa.

Add to the fact that it is the only country in the region that borders with all member states, the country would greatly benefit if operations at ports would be improved and efficiency enhanced.

Tanzania depends on the ports for its bulky imports. Improving services at the ports is thus crucial to maintaining existing users and attract future ones.

It should be remembered that after a minor cabinet reshuffle early in the year, incoming Minister for Transport, Samuel Sitta sacked the Acting Director General for Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) Madeni Kipande to pave way for investigations over irregularities in the running of the Dar es Salaam Port.

Mr Kipande was asked to step aside because there were a number of complaints from different port users that various tendering processes at the port were marred with irregularities.

Apparently, that was not enough of a remedy to improve operations at the country’s ports. The same Mr Sitta on Tuesday dissolved the Board of Directors of TPA and appointed eight new members to form a new board.

He announced the move when addressing employees of the Tanga Port when an official tour of the facility, insisting that the oppressive acts he had witnessed within the port had prompted the dismissal of the board.

The decision to dissolve the board shows that a lot more needs to be done to improve efficiency at our ports, from employees’ welfare to doing away with unnecessary bottlenecks that would discourage port users from using the country’s ports and thus opting to use those of neighbouring countries, mostly Kenya.

As it is, a standard gauge railway project from Mombasa to Nairobi is well underway to ensure maximum use of the Mombasa Port for both importing and exporting goods, even from neighbouring countries.

This is a huge challenge that by itself should be cause for concern. With time, and changes that tag along with it, the action by the minister should be a wake-up call to those who have been appointed in the new board. Change for the better is of the essence.

Source: Daily News

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