Kilwa fishing port nears completion

MWANZA: THE Kilwa Masoko Fishing Port has reached 95 per cent completion, marking a key step in the government’s push to expand fisheries infrastructure and improve trade logistics across the coastal and inland waters.

The 280bn/- project is now in its final phase, with a 315-metre jetty already completed, service infrastructure and equipment at 98 per cent, and the reception building and fish auction market at 91 per cent.

Chief Government Spokesperson and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information, Arts and Sports, Mr Gerson Msigwa, said here recently that the project is set to raise the fisheries sector’s contribution to the economy while opening up employment opportunities. More than 1,000 jobs have already been created during construction.

Once operational, the port is expected to support fish processing for both domestic consumption and export markets, contributing to foreign exchange earnings and strengthening the wider fisheries value chain.

Alongside Kilwa, the government is advancing upgrades across the Great Lakes to improve regional trade links. On Lake Victoria, Bukoba and Kemondo ports have been completed, while Mwanza North Port is at 75 per cent.

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On Lake Tanganyika, works are under way to upgrade Kigoma Port through construction of a road, jetty and passenger terminal, financed by Japan through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

As of February, implementation was in initial stage, while construction of Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) offices at Lake Tanganyika ports has been completed. For Lake Nyasa, the Mbamba Bay Port project, valued at 75.85bn/-, is 47 per cent complete, with 26.42bn/- allocated in the 2025/26 financial year.

Works include a jetty, administration building, internal roads, cargo storage facilities, a workshop and a passenger terminal. Meanwhile, the 39.21bn/- Kwala Dry Port in Coast Region has been completed and is operational, with cargohandling areas allocated to countries including Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Zambia, Uganda, Malawi, South Sudan and Zimbabwe.

Some countries have begun developing their zones, with Burundi starting fence construction and the DRC finalising a feasibility study to strengthen rail links.

The Tanzania Railways Corporation (TRC) is also conducting a feasibility study to connect the Standard Gauge Railway to Kwala and establish a station at the facility.