TANGA; PRESIDENT Samia Suluhu Hassan has directed the Ministry of Energy to review policies and procedures to ensure that fuel traders in the Northern Zone collect fuel from Tanga instead of relying on depots in Dar es Salaam.
She issued the directive yesterday while in Tanga, after laying the foundation stone for the construction of a Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) terminal by GBP Tanzania Limited Company.
“GBP is doing an excellent job in this sector but fuel distributors in this region are still collecting fuel from Dar es Salaam. You must review the policy,” President Samia said.
She said that GBP’s Tanga facility has sufficient fuel to supply the Northern Zone and neighbouring countries, makiing it unnecessary for distributors to source fuel from Dar es Salaam.
President Samia stated that the decision had been made earlier, but its imple- mentation was delayed by the Ministry of Energy.
She, therefore, instructed Deputy Minis- ter for Energy, Judith Kapinga, to ensure the order is executed without further delay.
“This matter is crucial because the ongoing invest- ments in airports, roads and other infrastructure require fuel to be sourced from Tanga,” President Samia said .
She further noted that the government’s plan to construct the Tanga-Singida highway aims to reduce trans- portation distances for traders, including those in the fuel sector in the Northern Zone.
This initiative will also help decongest Dar es Salaam.
Speaking at the event, GBP Tanzania Limited Man- aging Director, Badar Soud, revealed that the company plans to establish gas refilling stations in various regions across the country.
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President Samia commended GBP for this initiative and reassured investors of the government’s commitment to creating stable and predictable policies that support long-term investments and enhance Tanzania’s competitiveness in both local and international markets.
“While reviewing this LPG project, I also noted your commitment to investing in gas refilling stations across the country. This is a significant investment and I want to assure you that the government fully supports these ef- forts,” President Samia said.
Mr Badar further stated that the entire project will cost 50 million US dollars (equivalent to 127.5bn/-) and is expected to create at least 1,000 jobs.
The terminal has a storage capacity of 30,000 litres of LPG, aligning with the government’s long-term strategy to promote clean cooking energy, with a target of 80 per cent of Tanzanians adopting clean energy by 2034.
He also highlighted GBP’s achievements in Tanzania over the past 25 years, including the establishment of large- scale fuel storage facilities.
Currently, their Tanga depot has a storage capacity of 202,188,135 litres, while the Dar es Salaam depot can hold 76,386,105 litres.
Earlier, Ms Kapinga, underscored Tanga’s strategic importance in the energy sector, describing it as the central hub for fuel reception and distribution to the Northern Zone and neighbouring countries
“Our partners at GBP play a crucial role in the energy sector, particularly in the oil and gas industry, as their storage facilities serve as the primary reception and distri- bution point for the Northern Zone,” Ms Kapinga said.
President Samia conclud- ed her seven-day working tour of Tanga yesterday, during which she launched and inspected various development projects worth approximately 3.1trl/-, allocated to the region over the four years of her presidency.
