Dar Port security assured

The Deputy Minister for Home Affairs Jumanne Sagini has assured Dar es Salaam port of the government’s readiness to beef up security and related equipment to improve performance at the country’s largest port facility.

Mr Sagini said the massive investment made at Dar port has led to an increase of ships calling at the terminal, which has also gone concomitantly with increased cargo and customers.

“All these are dependent on stronger security. The government is ready to meet all human capital requirements to assure that peace is maintained,” the Deputy Minister said on Tuesday during his tour at the country’s principal port.

He hailed the management of the Dar port for ensuring that ships, cargo and customers were safe and no theft, saying that they should not hesitate to timely request support, as security was one of the priorities that customers want before they can continue to use the port.

Mr Sagini assured that already the police force has recruited over 4,000 youth who are training to join the police force and that therefore there should be no worry about the number of police officers needed to cope with increased port activities.

Dar es Salaam Port Director, Mr Mrisho Mrisho thanked the Deputy Minister, saying security was a key priority for them as they continue to market the country’s leading port domestically and internationally.

“Customers need to get assured of how security is prioritised in terms of human resources and other supportive tools. This (government’s assurance) now gives us more confidence in approaching our customers to convince them to opt for Dar port,” he said.

He added that the Dar port has a total of 400 CCTV cameras and more than 250 security officers and that analysis is on the way to project areas of improvement to meet the growing demand which will be presented to the relevant ministry for next action.

Tanzania Port Authority (TPA) which is a custodian of all sea and lake ports realised its target of handling 18 million tonnes of cargo and earning 1tri/- for the 2021/22 financial year.