Implementation of Sh81 billion Mbamba Bay Port project commences
The Tanzania Ports Authority director general Mr Plasduce M. Mbossa (right) and a representative of Chinese company, Xiamen Ongoing Construction Group, display signed contract documents on the construction of Mbamba Bay port early this month. PHOTO | COURTESY
What you need to know:
- The implementation of the project arises from in-depth research and feasibility studies conducted by TPA aimed at identifying the actual requirements that will bolster profitable investments in the eight ports under the authority along the Lake Nyasa
Dar es Salaam. The construction and development project for the Mbamba Bay Port in Nyasa District, Ruvuma Region, has officially commenced implementation.
The project worth Sh80.85 billion is expected to be implemented in a period of 24 months (two years from now).
The Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) said in a statement that the project has been handed over to Anova Consulting Company Limited.
Speaking to The Citizen, Lake Nyasa Ports Manager Manga Gassaya said the time was ripe for the implementation of the long-awaited project.
He said the project will be executed by the Chinese Xiamen Ongoing Construction Group Company Limited.
The port construction and upgrading were expected to bring numerous benefits to the surrounding communities in Ruvuma and neighbouring regions, especially job creation for Tanzanian youth.
"It will also increase the volume of cargo and the number of passengers utilising the gateway, therefore stimulating economic activities in the area such as agriculture, entrepreneurship, and industrial development at all levels,” he said.
"The port will also enhance the efficiency of Indian Ocean ports as it will be connected with the Mtwara Development Corridor,” says the TPA statement in part.
Furthermore, TPA says the port will also serve as the new headquarters for Lake Nyasa Ports and a crucial link between Tanzania, Malawi and Zambia, which are significant markets for food and other agricultural products produced by residents in the Southern Highlands regions and the Lake Nyasa shores.
The project’s originality stems from TPA research and feasibility studies aimed at identifying the real needs that will enhance profitable investment in the eight ports overseen by the authority along the Lake Nyasa coastline.
The eight ports, according to TPA, are Mbamba Bay, Liuli, Manda, Kiwira, Lupingu, Itungi, Ndumbi, and Matema.
The three ports, namely Mbamba Bay, Manda, and Kiwira, meet the economic and commercial criteria, therefore deserving a strategic investment that will enhance their capacity to provide services and increase TPA revenue collections.
