Kigamboni hailed as Tanzania’s best-planned business hub

DAR ES SALAAM: THE Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner, Albert Chalamila has commended Kigamboni business area saying it is a model for well-planned urban development

Speaking  in a meeting with the Dar es Salaam Port’s stakeholders, RC Chalamila pointed out that although the area once faced criticism, it is now a growing economic hub thanks to deliberate planning and investment.

“People used to say Kigamboni was empty. Today, it competes with Masaki in economic activity. The area was designed for people to live and prosper,” he said.

In retrospect  RC Chalamila has ordered the management of the Dar es Salaam Port  to transform its operational and physical structures including those of the surrounding areas.

The RC also insisted on the relocation of non-port-related commercial activities to outside the port zone to ease congestion and raise operational efficiency.

 Chalamila expressed concern over the persistent traffic jams, logistical delays, and unsanitary conditions caused by the overlapping of port activities with unrelated businesses such as retail shops, hotels, and warehouses within the port vicinity.

“If you want a warehouse, place it outside the port. If you want a hotel or shopping complex, let it be built in a designated area—not inside the port. Mixing these functions is why we have delays, congestion, and inefficiencies,” said Chalamila.

He highlighted that some cargo is detained for prolonged periods at Inland Container Depots (ICDs), disrupting the transportation chain and raising costs for transport companies, drivers, and the government itself. “When 1,500 containers don’t move on time, everybody loses—drivers, businesses, and even tax collection suffers,” he added.

The Regional Commissioner condemned the growing presence of informal businesses and street vendors along roadsides—particularly on newly built roads—citing it as a major setback to development efforts and urban aesthetics. “You can’t invest 231 bn/- in a road and then allow people to set up cooking stalls and plastic tents on it. That is disrespectful to progress,” he lamented.

Chalamila also expressed dissatisfaction with institutions renting out public spaces (locally known as tando lodi) to informal traders, a practice he says contributes to urban chaos and mismanagement. He urged public agencies to collaborate with the private sector and local communities to beautify public spaces, particularly along key roads such as the one leading to Julius Nyerere International Airport.

He further criticized the unplanned parking of cargo trucks along city roads and called for swift action to ensure the free movement of ambulances and emergency services. “Ambulances can’t find a path when reserves are packed with trucks. This is unacceptable,” he said.

Chalamila emphasized that Dar es Salaam has the potential to fund and construct its own roads using domestic revenues without relying entirely on international donors. “We can build our own roads with 300bn/- in three years. We don’t have to wait for IJF or foreign donors,” he insisted.

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He argued that economic growth should be reflected in the daily lives of citizens through improved health services, better roads, and sanitation, not just in macroeconomic figures. “People won’t understand economic growth unless they see medicine in clinics, quality public transport, and clean cities,” he said.

Concluding his remarks, Chalamila called for collective responsibility and long-term vision among stakeholders. “Dar es Salaam can become a competitive regional trade hub. But we must change how we plan, how we manage space, and how we live in our cities,” he said.