• Tanzania to begin Bagamoyo deep-sea port construction in December
  
  
• Port to be 20x larger than Dar es Salaam, with 28 planned berths
  
  
• Project aims to boost Tanzania’s role in East Africa’s trade network
  

Construction of the deep-sea port in Bagamoyo in eastern Tanzania will officially begin in December, according to statements by the chief government spokesperson reported by local media outlets.

The project, first unveiled over a decade ago, is considered one of the country's most significant port initiatives.

The Bagamoyo port is designed to eventually handle volumes 20 times greater than the port of Dar es Salaam. It is planned to have 28 berths, with 14 to be built in the first phase. With a stated depth of 20 meters, the infrastructure will be able to accommodate new-generation vessels, including container ships with a capacity of 25,000 TEUs.

Tanzania signed a framework agreement in 2013 with China Merchants Holdings International and Oman's State General Reserve Fund for the construction of the complex. Its implementation was delayed after the government judged that some contractual conditions were not favorable to national interests.

The project is part of a strategy to establish Tanzania as a major maritime hub in East Africa, amid increasing competition with Kenya's port of Mombasa. Mombasa continues to attract a large share of traffic destined for landlocked countries in the region, such as Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, and Burundi, which are strategic markets for both states. 

Separately, Tanzania and Kenya are investing in standard gauge railway (SGR) corridors intended to facilitate freight and strengthen the competitiveness of their respective logistics chains, as regional and international trade volumes rise.

Henoc Dossa