Tanzania Trade and Transport Improvement Programme

The Port of Dar es Salaam, which serves as Tanzania’s main maritime gateway, handles over 18 million tonnes of cargo annually. It also serves six landlocked nations: Malawi, Zambia, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (TPA, 2024). Despite its strategic importance, the port faces significant operational challenges. The average cargo dwell time is between 9 and 12 days, more than double the global benchmark of under 4 days (World Bank, 2023). This inefficiency is compounded by fragmented customs systems and limited cold-chain facilities. As a result, trade costs are inflated by 20–40% (OECD, 2023), and horticultural exports lose a substantial 30–50% of their value due to delays (FAO, 2022). The economic benefits of improving port efficiency are considerable. According to the World Bank (2022), enhancing port and corridor efficiency could reduce trade costs in low-income countries by 10% and boost global trade volumes by 14.5%. With the AfCFTA projected to increase intra-African trade by 52.3% by 2030 (UNECA, 2020), there is a significant opportunity to capitalise on this growth. To address these issues and seize future opportunities, the TMA trade facilitation component of the programme will be is needed to reduce the time and cost of goods movement. This will be achieved by digitising clearance processes, integrating border agency systems, and expanding cold-chain capacity. These measures will cut clearance times from days to hours, lower transaction costs, and establish the Dar and Central Corridors as competitive and resilient trade arteries within Africa.