By JOHN SAKALA
The Dar es Salaam Corridor Group (DCG) and the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) have entered into a partnership agreement for the development of a Dry Port at the terminal end of TAZARA in New Kapiri Mposhi, Zambia.
DCG emerged winner from an open competitive bidding process and is soon expected to begin constructing the Dry Port on a Build-Lease-Transfer (BLT) Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) model.
Included in the terms are that DCG will take hold of the four (4) hectare piece of land, construct the Dry Port, operate (lease) it for 25 years and, thereafter, transfer all the immovable assets to TAZARA.
Speaking during the signing ceremony in Dar es Salaam, the Authority’s Managing Director, Bruno Ching’andu thanked the investor for patiently waiting for the shareholders’ approval of the Agreement.
“We are glad that the Attorneys General for both countries signed off this Agreement, but it was worth the wait because it’s a significant development, being one of the first PPP models to be introduced under our strategic vision of engaging the private sector in the full utilisation of TAZARA’s huge idle capacity,” observed Eng Ching’andu.
He said that not only will TAZARA take possession of the assets after the expiry of the lease, but the Authority would also earn regular revenue from the lease as well as from the Port’s daily operations.
“Above all, this is one sure way of guaranteeing ourselves of additional freight traffic that will naturally accrue from the business generated by the Dry Port’s operations,” said Eng Ching’andu.
DCG Chief Executive Officer, Jesper Sorensen commended the significance of the Agreement as a prelude to greater things to follow because the Dry Port operator intended to promote railways as the main mode of transportation in the logistics chain.
“We know that TAZARA represents a strong bond between Tanzania and Zambia and are confident that this Agreement signifies a new era in the development of logistics between the two countries,” said Mr. Sorensen.
A dry port, sometimes referred to as inland port, is an intermodal terminal directly connected by road or rail to a seaport and operating as a centre for the trans-shipment of cargo to other inland destinations.
The area where the Kapiri Mposhi Dry Port is earmarked for is located on the northern side of New Kapiri Mposhi Railway station, measuring approximately 4.3756 hectares (10.81 acres), with an already installed gantry crane of 36mt lifting capacity.
This is according to a media statement made available to The Independent Observer by TAZARA Head of Public Relations Conrad Simuchile.
