Deal to improve Lake Victoria, Tanganyika transport inked

Lake Victoria

MARINE Service Company Limited (MSCL) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Central Corridor Transit Transport Facilitation Agency (CCTTFA) worth over 165m/- for the improvement of maritime transport in Lake Victoria and Tanganyika.

The three-year MoU is a continuation of the previous contract entered by both parties in 2020 through which CCTTFA offered over 209m/-. This makes the value of the agreement to be over 375m/-.

The amount is meant for capacity building training for MSCL staff to help them match with changes in science and technologies in the maritime sector.

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“The government keeps on building new ships, whose construction, especially navigation systems, involves modern technologies. Our staff, mostly captains and seafarers, must be familiar,” MSCL Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr Eric Hamissi, said during the signing ceremony on Tuesday.

He affirmed that all MSCL staff will benefit from the training in line with their fields. They are to be initially channelled to local colleges and later on abroad.

It was further noted that the CCTTFA support is also for new market research in Great Lakes, starting with Jinja (Uganda) and Kisumu (Kenya) in Lake Victoria as well as Zambia in Lake Tanganyika.

“Researching scope is to be widened to grab as many markets as possible, including DRC (Democratic Republic of) Congo, Bujumbura and many more countries. Then the findings will direct us where to go,” said the CEO.

It was further noted that part of the fund is for MSCL charges review, to have the rates that coup with the existing market situation.

The CCTTFA Executive Secretary, Mr Okandju Flory, commented that the fund should also improve MSCL communication, to let the company’s look shine more, on various platforms that inform the public.

The step includes the purchase of modern media equipment like cameras, laptops and many more for improvements of the Company’s media of communication, including its online Meli TV.

“To implement the company’s strategic plan, we are responsible to fuel and strengthening maritime transportation through the Lakes adjacent to central corridor member countries, which are Victoria and Tanganyika.

“Marine Company is among the major stakeholders to implement such a plan. We do promise our endless collaboration since your successes are a focal benefit to our citizens in this zone,” he said.

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