TPA in charm offensive to woo clients in Zambia

DAILY NEWS Reporter

Dar es Salaam Port

TANZANIA Ports Authority (TPA) has persuaded the Zambia business community to use the Dar es Salaam Port as it offers seamless and efficient transport services.

Dar port naturally is the easiest gateway to Zambia’s major cities and towns namely Lusaka, Kitwe, and Ndola and also DRC’s Lubumbashi.

The TPA Director General, Mr Deusdedit Kakoko, assured them that all the impediments encountered at the port and the Tanzania Zambia Railways Authority (TAZARA) have been removed giving way for increased capacity and efficiency. He said yesterday that the port is still a shorter route covering some 1,000 kilometres while offering competitive rates and reduced transit times.

To increase efficiency and capacity further, the DG said World Bank under Dar es Salaam Gateway Maritime Project (DGMP) project will start Dar port upgrading, specifically working in berths one to seven from next month. Once the project is completed as expected in 2019, the port will be capable of handling bigger ships compared to the present third generation ships.

Currently, TPA is modernizing the port infrastructure and new equipment will soon be procured to match with the present technology as the port will be receiving big and wider ships.

On inland transport improvement, Mr Kakoko said TAZARA has beefed up capacity to cut down transit time from more than 15 days to less than nine days.

Tanzania’s High Commissioner to Zambia, Ms Grace Mujuma has appealed to Zambia traders to use the High Commission to obtain genuine Tanzanian companies working on port clearing logistics. Ms Mujuma urged TPA to work on all the challenges raised by port users in Zambia in order to win them back by raising their confidence.

During the visit the delegation that visited key stakeholders in the Copper Belt in Kitwe and Ndola and the Business Community in Lusaka heard some challenges impeding them to run away from Dar port.

Some of the challenges were unnecessary delays at Tunduma border post, unfaithful clearing and forwarding agents, cumbersome documentation and clearance procedures, issues of tariffs, and long transit times.