DAR ES SALAAM PORT UPGRADING IMPRESSES WORLD BANK

Acting Director General of TPA, Awadh Massawe briefs
some of the Worl Bank officials on the ongoing upgrading
of the Dar es Salaam port. Second left is World Bank Vice
President (Africa), Dr. Makhtar Diop.

The World Bank Vice-President for the Africa Region, Dr Makhtar Diop, said over the weekend that his institution is impressed with the ongoing improvement at the Port of Dar es Salaam, saying the move will have positive impact on the economy of Tanzania and its landlocked neighbours.

Dr Diop made the remarks when he toured the Port of Dar es Salaam over the weekend.

The tour was meant to acquaint him with a number of ongoing infrastructure projects that seek to improve the performance of the country’s major port.

“We acknowledge the importance of the ongoing improvements to the economy of Tanzania and its landlocked neighbours,” said Dr Diop who was in the company of the new World Bank Country Director to Tanzania, Burundi and Uganda, Ms Bella Bird and her predecessor Mr Philippe Dongier.

He said the World Bank was hopeful that Ms Bird would emulate Mr Dongier’s footsteps with regard to cooperating with Tanzania to improve the country’s infrastructure.

The permanent secretary in the Ministry of Transport, Dr Shaaban Mwinjaka, thanked the World Bank for being one of the institutions that support infrastructure improvement at the Port of Dar es Salaam, noting that ultimately, the improvements would turn the port into one of the cheapest and most competitive in the East and Central Africa region.

He said the tour of top World Bank officials was testimony to the fact that the global financial institution was determined to continue partnership with Tanzania in financing infrastructure improvement projects at the port.

Dr Diop and his team toured Berths 1 (one) to 7 (seven) and the entrance channel and turning basin in the port. According to the acting director general for Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA), Mr Awadh Massawe, the World Bank is supporting a project to upgrade the entrance channel so as to allow large ships to dock at the port.

“This will involve dredging the entrance so it can be 13 metres deep from the current 9.5 meters, that way, we will be able to accommodate larger vessels,” he said.

The TPA deputy director responsible for infrastructure development projects, Mr Alois Matei, was hopeful that the actual dredging task will start early next year.

Daily News