Help us market Port Bell, Uganda asks Tanzania

Dar es Salaam. Uganda’s Works and Transport minister Monica Ntege has called on Tanzania to work with Uganda in marketing Port Bell that is directly connected to Mwanza Port along the Central Corridor with the aim of attracting public and private firms to transport their cargo along the route. Ms Ntege, who is also the current Central Corridor chairperson, said she came to Tanzania to study projects within the Central Corridor before handing over the chairmanship next month to a national of the next country from the bloc. “We thank the government of Tanzania for encouraging us to use this route, especially after being let down by a company that we initially used for transportation of our cargo,” she said.(Rosemary Mirondo)

She explained that the Dar es Salaam Port was increasingly becoming efficient and cheap, thereby calling on transporters to make it their number one choice.

According to her, Uganda has completed upgrading the 9-kilometre road between Kampala and PortBell that connects to Mwanza Port and the Dar es Salaam Port by land.

She added that in view of the same, Uganda was ready to transport huge cargo from Uganda via Dar es Salaam.

She said they have already talked with large firms in Uganda to transport their cargo via the route to the Dar es Salaam Port.

“This is my first time to visit the port, and I’m amazed at how much it has been improved, including infrastructure upgrades,” she said.

She praised the government for opening the Central Corridor that enables Uganda to transport its cargo via Dar es Salaam Port to overseas markets.

For her part, Dar es Salaam Port’s Marketing director Lidya Mallya said the port had enrolled a task force to work closely with Uganda to ensure businesspeople were using the Central Corridor to transport their cargo via the Dar es Salaam Port.

According to her, they will utilise different opportunities to promote the route for companies from both countries.