TANZANIA Ports Authority (TPA) yesterday opened its first offices in Harare to enhance the ease of doing business as well as ensure a seamless flow of cargo as trade between the two countries continues to increase.
TPA is the east African country’s sea and lake ports management agency with external offices in other countries including Rwanda, Malawi, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Some 46 519 cars passed through Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania’s capital — en-route to Zimbabwe in the 2021/22 fiscal year with numbers expected to increase this year.
Speaking at the official opening ceremony, Tanzania’s Minister of Transport Makame Mnyaa Mbarawa said TPA’s arrival in Zimbabwe was part of their efforts towards improving port efficiency and reducing costs of business between the two nations.
“The opening up of this TPA country office in Zimbabwe, cements the dedication by the Government of Tanzania to ensure and encourage the business community to continue using the TPA services and take advantage of this wider market to expand their businesses,” Mbarawa said.
“We are all aware of the impediments faced by the Zimbabwean port users, mainly caused by the lengthy distance of about 2 284 kilometres from Dar es Salaam to Harare. The Tanzanian government is ready to work together with the Zimbabwean government and all other stakeholders to ensure that we reduce and eliminate those impediments.”
According to Mbarawa, business between Tanzania and Zimbabwe is growing fast largely due to the high volumes of cars transiting through Dar-as-Salaam to Zimbabwe from Japan and European countries.
“The presence of the Tanzania Ports Authority in Zimbabwe cements the government’s strategy to become a land-linked nation as our importers and exporters can be assisted with compliance issues when importing or exporting their goods through the Port of Dar res Salam.
- Tanzania Ports Authority opens Harare office
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“For Zimbabwe, the Dar es Salaam Port has become a port of choice, especially for vehicle imports from Asia,” Transport and Infrastructural Development secretary Joy Pedzisayi Makumbe told the media during the event.
