Group photograph of TMA Board Member, Sanjay Rughani (third from left), and TMA’s Regional Director for East and Central Africa, Monica Hangi (second from left), with a delegation of business leaders from across East Africa and senior government officials.
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, 22 February 2025: Business leaders from across East Africa convened at Dar es Salaam Port to assess progress on reforms and engage with senior government officials on trade challenges. Organised by the Young Presidents’ Organisation (YPO) and TradeMark Africa (TMA), with support from Ireland, UK International Development, and Norway, the high-level mission comes hot on the heels of the signing of a €15 million, four-year European Union-funded programme with the Government of Tanzania. The initiative seeks to improve port efficiency, facilitate trade, and modernise urban mobility across East and Central Africa’s trade corridors.
The Port of Dar es Salaam handles 95 per cent of Tanzania’s international trade and serves as a critical gateway for landlocked economies, including Zambia, Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, Malawi, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (Tanzania Ports Authority, 2024). Yet, inefficiencies – long cargo clearance times, high logistics costs, and infrastructure constraints have over years impeded trade efficiencies and competitiveness. East Africa’s transport costs remain among the highest globally, estimated at 60–70 per cent above international benchmarks (African Development Bank, 2024), making regional trade costly and less competitive.
Recognising these challenges, the European Union-backed project, implemented by TMA, the Port of Antwerp-Bruges International, and UN-Habitat, with management support from Enabel, is introducing digital customs systems to speed up clearance, upgrading infrastructure, and improving logistics coordination to optimise port operations. Ship turnaround time is expected to fall from 10 days to 4, easing congestion (Tanzania Ports Authority, 2024). A 40 per cent reduction in Port dwell time is projected to accelerate cargo movement, cutting logistics costs (World Bank, 2023). While these estimated gains will mark substantial progress, the business leaders stressed that further policy reforms and infrastructure investments are critical to sustaining the port’s transformation.
Business leaders gain firsthand insight into the operations of the Central Corridor during their visit to the Port of Dar es Salaam.
Leading the government delegation on the port assessment tour, the Dar es Salaam Port Director Galus Abed, reinforced the strategic significance of the reforms, saying: “The transforming Dar es Salaam Port into a world-class trade hub. Thise efforts go beyond efficiency to strategically position Tanzania as the preferred gateway for regional and international trade.’’
Following the port visit, the business leaders engaged in a dialogue with senior government officials from the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA), Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA), and the Ministry of Industry and Trade to address Tanzania’s business environment, trade challenges, and investment opportunities. The discussions highlighted the need for further automation and simplification of customs procedures to reduce inefficiencies. While port operations have improved, challenges remain in linking the port to regional corridors via roads and railways. The private sector also called for greater policy predictability to incentivise long-term investments in Tanzania’s trade sector.
TMA Board Member, Sanjay Rughani, highlighted the importance of policy stability, saying: “Markets thrive on predictability. Continuous dialogue between businesses and policymakers is crucial for creating a trade environment that is predictable, efficient, and competitive. While the private sector stands ready to invest, clear and stable policies are necessary to nurture long-term growth. Tanzania can create an environment that fosters this ambition and certainty.”
TMA’s Regional Director, East and Central Africa, Monica Hangi insisted on a need to link reforms at the port with initiatives that enhance supply side capacities in order to draw in much impact from the opportunities. She emphasised on a need for a clear investment plan especially on the intermodal connectivity between roads and railway transport. To bring on board the private sector, the role of government in de-risking the investment climate in the country is paramount.
Through partnerships with development actors and private sector stakeholders, TMA and its partners are driving structural change in Tanzania’s logistics sector. The port’s transformation offers a rare opportunity to cut trade costs, accelerate cargo movement, and strengthen Tanzania’s role in regional trade. These gains, however, must be safeguarded through sustained investment, regulatory alignment, and public-private collaboration. As Tanzania pursues its trade modernisation agenda, concerted action will determine whether Dar es Salaam Port becomes a world-class logistics hub, unlocking economic opportunities across East and Central Africa.
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