State-entity Tanzania Port Authority (TPA) has inked agreements with Saudi, China and Egyptian firms on plans for the Bagamoyo Port Project. Plasduce Mbossa, TPA’s general manager made this affirmation while speaking to journalists recently.

He provided information regarding the port sector activities in the past four years. Furthermore, he noted that the MoUs entered between the port authority and the firms did not yet cover port construction but preliminary activities. Various companies have expressed interest in being part of the port’s implementation.

The government is still working on how to develop the port, considering the suitable contractors. Due to the project’s importance, the government is not ready to rush into agreements with investors. One of the reasons TPA’s general manager noted is on the modality of the project. He said that the government is reviewing the 2010 plan on the Bagamoyo port development, showing their keenness on the project. Once completed, the port is expected to be East Africa’s largest maritime project.

Project Summary:

Location: Bagamoyo, Tanzania

Area Covered: 800 Hectares

Significance: East Africa’s Largest Maritime Project

Phase of Implementation: First Phase

Cost of Project: US$10 Billion

The Scope of Implementation on the Bagamoyo Port Project

Tanzania’s government, through TPA, has noted that once reviews are done, it will provide the way forward on the port. This counters the discounted reports on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia recently announcing its acquisition on the project. The Bagamoyo port project is expected to cover an area of over 800 hectares. Furthermore, it is expected to able to accommodate 20 million containers annually upon completion.

Based on these insights, it is expected to be the largest maritime project in the region. Moreover, it would rival other prominent ports in East Africa, such as those in Mombasa and Dar es Salaam. The port management notes that the project is a crucial component of current development strategies. Moreover, the government has already issued Tsh 22 billion to commence early phases of construction. Focus is on deep water berths to handle larger ships that that the Dar es Salaam port was not handling till recently.