TPA boasts of ability to cover country’s budget

TANZANIA Port Authority (TPA) Director General, Eng Deusidedit Kakoko has called for stakeholders cooperation, saying there is a possibility of the port producing the whole central government budget (over 20trn/-).

The said cooperation, he said, involved formalisation of all non-official ports countrywide, saying the government has been losing huge amounts of money since all smuggled goods, including illegal drugs, have been imported through those ports. He was speaking yesterday in Dar es Salaam during the 13th TPA anniversary which brought together all stakeholders across the country to discuss further possible ways of improving the authority’s operations.

“Yes, it is not just a joke, the port can bring in over twenty trillion a year. It is just a matter of cooperation between public and private stakeholders. We have therefore gathered here to voice up and receive stakeholders’ views on what should be done to make it possible,” he said.

He revealed that currently, the authority is deepening and strengthening the berths to pave the way for bigger ships to dock, saying that arrival of big ships means an increase in cargo as well as attracting more clients to use the port. He said over 400m US dollars has been set aside for the exercise (water table expansion), with the government through TPA contributing 64m/-, 345m US dollars from the World Bank on soft loan basis as well as 12m US dollars grant from the UKbased Department for International Development (DFID).

It is a five-year project (from 2017 to 2021), according to Eng Kakoko. Secretary General for Tanzania Freight Forwarders Association (TAFFA), Mr Tony Swai, commended the government’s efforts towards improving the port’s operations, saying the dock watertable expansion is going to practically turn the port into the country’s cash cow. He added that the government was almost done in removing all trading barriers which used to demoralise clients, saying the changes match with the president’s industrialisation drive. “We are in the transitional period towards an industrial economy. The port income can make the drive really work when every stakeholder plays his/her part. Let us work together to support the country’s economy boost. The port is the navel of the national income which goes into the national basket-budget for various development activities,” he said.

Full TPA operations (24hrs) was among the improvements, especially when the port made it possible to release more than 600 cars per day, compared to 150 cars in the past, said the TAFFA secretary. PMM Dry Port Executive Chairperson, Ms Judith Mhina supported the motion that the country’s economy can depend on the port’s income despite minor challenges from some of the stakeholders.

She said the challenges included long-time cargo holding by Tanzania National Roads Agency (Tanroads) when the vehicle is overloaded. Meanwhile, about 60 TPA stakeholders from across East Africa paid a visit to the port on Thursday, commending the government’s efforts towards improving the port operations, especially with the introduction of One-stop Centres in and outside the