Tanzania Ministry directed to revive ports, railways

The Parliamentary Committee for Infrastructure has directed the Ministry of Transport to present its intensive and strategic plans in parliament, which starts its session on Tuesday, on how it will effectively revamp the ports and railways network to effectively contribute to the national economy.

Briefing journalists after meeting with officials from the ministry and Tanzania Ports Authority’s (TPA) management in Dar es Salaam on Thursday, the committee’s Vice-Chairperson, Mrs Anne Killango Malecela, said revamping of ports operations and railway infrastructure will be the committee’s top agenda this year.

She said the committee was concerned on the general contribution of the ports and railways to the economy and was keen to see enormous realistic government plans to improve them. “And we are not talking of the Dar es Salaam port alone, we are equally advocating for all ports across the country to be given the attention they deserve.

It has reached a point where the public believes that nothing can be done to revive these potential sectors,” she said. Earlier, the committee held a closed meeting with the ministry and TPA officials at theDar es Salaam port yesterday, but Ms Kilango was reluctant to reveal details of the meeting.

However, she admitted the meeting dealt with sensitive matters and that the government gave assurances that it was doing everything in its powers to improve ports and railways infrastructure. She stressed that the public was anxiously waiting to see more positive contribution of the sector than the current situation.

“And we can assure you that the next budget will concentrate on seeing these talks bear fruit, and we are going to hold other meetings in Dodoma,” she noted. Approached for comment, the Minister for Transport, Mr Omari Nundu, said he was not in the position to give any comment since he was only called to appear before the committee.

He said his ministry was set to work on the committee’s directives. There have been a number of plans that need financial investments to improve ports’ infrastructure especially the Dar es Salaam Port, one being increasing the depths of all the seven berths to allow handling of all types of vessels.

TPA has already secured a grant worth 1.1 million US Dollars (about 1.8bn/-) for the project’s feasibility study which would eventually see the port more efficient and able to compete in the global maritime business.

By PIUS RUGONZIBWA, Tanzania Daily News