Cargo handled by Tanzanian ports increased by 14.9% to 19.8 million tonnes in the last financial year as businesses rebounded from the COVID-19 outbreak in the wake of improved port infrastructure.

According to the Bank of Tanzania (BoT), cargo handling at sea and lake ports in the country amounted to 19.8 million tonnes in the year to June 2022, from 17.19 million tonnes handled during the same period a year before.

The central bank’s consolidated zonal economic performance report for the year ending June 2022 indicates that the improvement of the Dar es Salaam port, which accounts for 90.4% of cargo handling, continues to pay off.

During the year, the Dar es Salaam port handled 17.85 million tonnes, a 10.3% increase from 16.19 million tonnes that were handled in the 2020/2021 financial year.

The second-highest cargo volume was handled at the Tanga port, which recorded an improvement of 16.9% to 942,000 tonnes from 806,100 tonnes in the previous year.

Mtwara Port recorded the highest improvement, with cargo volume exceeding 592,400 tonnes by year-end in June 2022 from 177,400 tonnes in 2020/2021. This was because of an increase in cashew nuts and coal shipments.

Tanzania serves the neighbouring countries of Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Zambia and Malawi to export and import goods through Dar es Salaam port.