By Sunday News Reporter
DELAYS to accomplish expansion of Kasanga Port in Rukwa Region and Sumbawanga- Matai road projects continue to rile the government, given the strategic importance of the projects to the country's economy.
Deputy Minister for Works and Transport, Eng Godfrey Kasekenya spoke of the strategic importance of the terminal to the country's economy when he recently visited the project site on Lake Tanganyika.
During his tour, the deputy minister also inspected the construction of the 112-kilometre carriageway stretching from Sumbawanga Municipality via Matai to Kasanga Port, where he expressed his reservations following delays in completing both assignments.
Though he expressed his satisfaction with the construction of the road, the deputy minister issued a 45-day ultimatum to China Railway 15 Group, the firm undertaking the project, to complete the remaining 150 -metre road section.
Mr Kasekenya equally ordered Shanxi Construction Engineering Company, a firm engaging in the expansion task of Kasanga Port to evaluate the work so far undertaken to establish if it is up to the standards agreed.
"Make sure you accomplish the task in the shortest time possible from now on, because the time frame agreed for the implementation of both projects has elapsed," the deputy minister insisted.
He directed Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) manager in charge of all ports on Lake Tanganyika to travel to Kasanga Port in one-week time to inspect the implementation of the project before furnishing him (deputy minister) with the report.
Administratively, all ports in Lake Tanganyika on Tanzania's side are managed by TPA manager stationed at Kigoma Port.
He said the completion of Sumbawanga-Matai-Kasanga Port and the expansion of the terminal is an important step towards exploiting business potential in the neighbouring countries of Zambia, Burundi and DR Congo.
The two projects will further open Mbeya, Rukwa, Songwe and Rukwa regions by linking them with DR Congo, Zambia and Burundi in terms of trade.
Kalambo District Commissioner, Karolius Misungwi assured the deputy minister that upon completion of the projects, Kalambo residents will benefit more as they will be able to trade easily with other residents in the neighboring districts, regions and even countries.
Kalambo residents are good producers of food and cash crops in Rukwa Region.
The government is poised to reap profit from Kasanga Port, which is currently undergoing expansion, following the construction of a strategic road stretching from Sumbawanga Municipality to the terminal.
In December 2019, the Sunday News visited the terminal to witness the expansion work, during which early signs of good performance of the terminal were seen as fleets of trucks were found at the port offloading consignments of cement from Mbeya Cement Company destined for Burundi.
Truck drivers who volunteered to give their comments said before the construction of the road, they used to spend up to seven hours driving between Sumbawanga Municipality and Kasanga Port, but after the construction of the carriageway, the driving time was reduced to two only hours .
The captain of MV Rwegura, a cargo ship that was found at the terminal loading cement cargo destined for Burundi who identified himself as Mr Mbonyumuvumi Michael appreciated the ongoing expansion of Kasanga port, saying the harbor will 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 tarmac level because it will 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 since 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," the captain told the Sunday News.
Kasanga Port, which is the second largest terminal in Lake Tanganyika after Kigoma terminal and the largest harbor in Rukwa region, is undergoing expansion by the Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) at a cost of 4.76bn/-.
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 will also have its open cargo storage area (wharf) reinforced to keep loose and containerised cargo after offloading them from ships.
The terminal is important for the country' economy simply because 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.
During that period, only Kasanga port, which was first constructed between 1995 and 1998, and Kigoma terminal which was built between 1922 and 1927 were operating.
But today there are several ports being constructed or expanded on Lake Tanganyika to serve cargo destined for DR Congo, Burundi, Zambia and Rwanda.
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