Dar es Salaam Port, Tanzania’s primary maritime gateway, processed 33.7 million tonnes of cargo during the 2025/26 financial year. According to Daily News, this volume represents a 21.7 per cent increase from the 27.7 million tonnes recorded in the previous year. The growth is notable because the Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) had originally projected this volume for the 2030/31 financial year under its master plan. This early achievement has intensified the need for infrastructure expansion to prevent capacity constraints from disrupting trade efficiency.
TPA Director General Plasduce Mbossa detailed an ambitious investment programme estimated at 16.1 trillion shillings. The initiative targets the development of Dar es Salaam, Tanga, and Mtwara ports, as well as inland dry ports and logistics corridors. Daily News reported that 11.2 trillion shillings of this total will be mobilised through TPA revenues, including revised charges, while 4.9 trillion shillings will be secured from the private sector via Public-Private Partnership arrangements. This financing strategy aims to modernise handling equipment, storage facilities, and transport connections to support growing maritime activity.
Specific projects are already under implementation to address immediate bottlenecks. At Dar es Salaam, the construction of oil storage tanks is valued at 678.6 billion shillings and is financed entirely by domestic sources. With implementation at 54.8 per cent, the project is expected to be completed in March 2027. Once operational, the facilities are projected to cut average oil-vessel service time from ten days to three, thereby improving berth utilisation and cargo predictability.
In Mtwara, the Kisiwa Mgao Port project is expanding capacity for dry bulk commodities such as coal and clinker. Valued at 434.5 billion shillings, construction began in January 2025 and had reached 53.97 per cent completion by October 2026. The facility is scheduled for completion in January 2028 and will provide specialised handling for industrial inputs. Meanwhile, preparations are underway at Dar es Salaam for four new container berths, numbered 12 to 15. These additions are expected to boost annual container-handling capacity to 1.35 million twenty-foot equivalent units, with procurement requirements for consultants and contractors being finalised as of October 2026.