International trade in Tanzania is on a recovery path, thanks in some measure to the country’s port performance increase.
According to the latest reports, the cargo controlled by Tanzanian ports saw an increase of 14.9%, a total of 19.8 million tonnes in the last financial year. This is coming after the Covid-19 pandemic drastically halted the economic activities in this sector.
This report is courtesy of the Bank of Tanzania, which also noted that the 14.9% increase, realized in June 2022, shot up from 17.19 million tonnes to 19.8 million tonnes compared to the same period in the previous year.
An extract from the report reads; “Increased cargo volume in the ports of Dar es Salaam and Tanga is a result of the global supply chain’s recovery and improvements to the port’s infrastructure.”
The central bank’s consolidated zonal economic performance report for the year ending June 2022 shows that Dar es Salaam port accounts for 90.4% of the country’s cargo handling.
The second-highest cargo volume was handled at the Tanga port which recorded an improvement of 16.% to 942,000 tonnes from 806,100 tonnes in the previous year.
Mtwara Port recorded the highest improvement in cargo volume. Compared to the previous year, the numbers show an increase in cargo from 177,400 tonnes last year to 592,400 tonnes in 2022.
“The increase in cargo volume in Mtwara Port resulted from increased coal exportation to the Netherlands, Senegal, Ghana, Egypt, and India, and cashew nuts to Vietnam coupled with the importation of petroleum products,” the bank statement read in part.
The Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) director general, Mr Plasduce Mbossa, said, “the port sector contributes almost half the GDP in some countries. By looking at our ports against other similar ports across the world and seeing if there is room for improvement, we can improve even further.”
