The Central Corridor Transit Transport Facilitation Agency (AFTTCC) released the performance on the volume of transactions at the Port of Dar-es-Salaam on the flow of imported and exported goods in 2022. This was during a meeting of the Stakeholder Advisory Committee (STACON) organized by this agency from 12 to 13 April 2023 in Bujumbura. However, it deplores the delays recorded at the Kobero one-stop border post and the delivery of exemptions to this same post. This lengthens the time of trucks in transit
Melchior Barantandikiye, Director of the Logistics and Transit Facilitation Department at the AFTTCC: “The Kobero one-stop border post is both a customs clearance post and a transit post”.
According to Melchior Barantandikiye, Director of the Logistics and Transit Facilitation Department within the AFTTCC, the agency (ATTCC) is a regional structure that must be organized to facilitate trade, that is, the reduction of the cost and reducing lead times. It measures performance in relation to transit time, transport cost, port efficiency, greenhouse gas emissions, etc.
During the STACON meeting, he said, there were delays at the Kobero one-stop border post.
“It is both a customs clearance and transit post. Exempt goods are cleared at Kobero. The exemption regime is given when the goods arrive in Burundi”, says Mr. Barantandikiye before recalling that this position is cramped. This does not help the fluidity of trucks from Dar-es-Salaam.
A railway to improve the performance of the Corridor
Mr. Barantandikiye specifies that one of the missions of the AFTTC to facilitate the transport of goods is the facilitation and coordination of the construction of the standard gauge railway (SGR).
This will connect Tanzania-Burundi-the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
And to add: “On the side of Tanzania and Burundi, the Uvinza-Malagarazi section and the Malagarazi-Musongati section, the funding has already been acquired. Also, on March 30, 2023, there was the signing between Burundi and the DRC of a contract for the realization of feasibility studies and preliminary technical design of the standard gauge railway project (SGR) Gitega-Bujumbura -Uvira-Kindu. The studies will be undertaken by CPS and Zutari” before specifying that rehabilitation works of the Bujumbura-Rumonge road (RN3) are in progress on the road on some axes.
All is not rosy in rail and maritime transport
Philippe Ndikumana vice-president of STACON announces that the STACON meeting has led to the establishment of a national structure that will support the work of this committee.
“Three delegates will participate in regional meetings. They must identify beneficial projects for the country in order to take advantage of this Corridor which will soon be transformed into an economic corridor,” he said.
However, Mr. Ndikumana recognizes challenges in rail and maritime transport and administrative decisions that handicap the performance of the Central Corridor.
For example, rail transport has a shortage of new wagons. The railway tracks of the Dar-es-Salaam-Kigoma section are also old.
As for the exemptions which are delivered to the border post, it proposes an advance decision (recognition and validation of the formalities before the goods land on the national territory) and the automation of the management of the regime thereof.
Performances recorded at the port of Dar-es-Salaam
AFFTTC data shows that between 2021 and 2022, online traffic increased from 7574 to 9301 (23%).
They report that the overall freight increase for imports was 17%, while for exports it was 7% compared to the same period in 2021.
In terms of traffic share, these data show that Tanzanian cargo accounts for 57% of all imports passing through the port of Dar-es-Salaam, while transit cargo to Central Corridor Member States accounts for 30% and 13 % for other countries not members of the Central Corridor.
With regard to exports, the share of Tanzanian freight was 54%, while the export freight of other Central Corridor Member States accounted for 28% and that of other non-Central Corridor Member States 14%.
Regarding port efficiency, container dwell time in transit has decreased to around 10.7 days in 2022.
The 5-day target set by the Tanzanian government has not been met. Truck turnover at the TICTS terminal was 1.53 hours in 2022.
The number of foreign-registered transit trucks transporting goods in transit has increased from less than 6% in the past five years to 14% in 2022.
The increase in the number of transit trucks is attributed to the harmonization of road user charges and the improvement of the Central Corridor in terms of cargo handling at the port of Dar-es-Salaam.
Road transit time to various destinations in Central Corridor Member States has improved in terms of average duration and reliability with a reduction of 14 hours overall.
Transit time from Dar-es-Salaam port was 4 days (97 hours) to Kigali, 5.5 days (131 hours) to Bujumbura, 5.9 days (142 hours) to Kampala, 7.3 days (174 hours) for Bukavu and 6.5 days (157 hours) for Goma.
However, the data does not show any lasting improvements to be expected in 2023 from the monthly trends around December 11 if the situation remains as it was in 2022.
Cargo imports to Burundi through the port of Dar-es-Salaam were observed at 0.53 million tons in 2022. The volume of cargo observed in 2022 was higher than that of 2021 by 35,500 tons or the equivalent by 7.2%.
