DAR ES SALAAM, Sept. 24 — The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) plans to increase the proportion of its cargo transported through Tanzania’s Dar es Salaam port from the current 50 percent to 60 percent following increased mineral production from newly opened mines, a senior official said on Saturday.
DRC Minister of International Trade Julien Kahongya made the pledge during a visit to the Tanzania Ports Authority in Dar es Salaam, where he was accompanied by senior government officials. Kahongya said the DRC would maximize available transport corridors, including the route through the Kigoma port on Lake Tanganyika, where the Tanzanian government has launched a vessel to facilitate the movement of DRC cargo. He thanked Tanzania for allocating 60 hectares at the Kwala dry port in the Coast Region for DRC cargo storage before onward transportation to the DRC. The minister said his government had also allocated 60 hectares of land to Tanzania to support transportation and trade activities in the DRC. Abed Abed, director of the Dar es Salaam port, said Tanzania was improving the Kigoma port through private-sector investment and continuing the construction of the Standard Gauge Railway, which will facilitate direct cargo transportation between the two countries.
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