CONSTRUCTION OF BAGAMOYO PORT FINALLY SET TO START OFF IN 2015

The construction agreement for the port and associated zone was signed on Sunday this week.

The start date for construction of Bagamoyo port has finally been set at July 2015. The setting of the start date for the project had been delayed due to prolonged negotiations about infrastructure to link the port to national transport.

A construction agreement for the port and associated zone was signed on Sunday this week, and follows a framework deal signed last year.

The port will be constructed at an estimated cost of US$ 10bn at Mbegani creek. The Tanzanian government had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with China Merchants Holdings International (CMHI) and the State General Reserve Fund (SGRF) to develop the Bagamoyo economic zone.

The Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete indicated that the state is dedicated to see that the project takes off since it will bring economic benefits to the entire country.

Once complete, the new Bagamoyo port is expected to the busiest in the region overtaking the port of Mombasa in neighbouring Kenya. It will also ease off traffic from Dar es Salaam ports, which is currently the country’s largest port. The construction of the port will also improve efficiency in the transportation of cargo, and reduce the time taken for them to be cleared.

The government is also investing in other infrastructure such as the planned railway line that will link up its coastal area with neighbouring landlocked countries of Uganda, DR Congo, Rwanda and Burundi. Previously, the Bagamoyo port project had been slated to kick off this year.

Construction Review