Dar es Salaam – The Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) is targeting a cargo throughput of 54.59 million tonnes by the 2030/31 financial year, an ambitious goal that would nearly double its current record-breaking volumes.
The announcement, made by a senior TPA official on Tuesday, December 30, 2025, signals a significant escalation in the nation’s strategy to dominate East Africa’s logistics and trade landscape.
The new target represents a substantial leap from the 32.75 million tonnes handled in the 2024/25 financial year, which itself was a near-doubling of the 17.18 million tonnes processed in 2020/21.
This rapid growth has been fuelled by significant government investment in port infrastructure and a strategic shift towards private sector partnerships, aligning with President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s economic development agenda.
A key driver of this expansion has been the engagement of private terminal operators. At the Port of Dar es Salaam, DP World, which operates berths 0-7 under a 30-year concession signed in October 2023, now handles up to 30,000 containers per month, a substantial increase from the 7,000 previously handled by the TPA.
Similarly, Tanzania East Africa Gateway Terminal Limited (TEAGTL), operating berths 8-11, has increased its monthly throughput to as many as 75,000 containers.
These operational gains are underpinned by major infrastructure upgrades as part of the Dar es Salaam Maritime Gateway Project. The port’s entrance channel and berths have been deepened to 14.5 metres, allowing larger vessels to call. This has dramatically reduced average vessel turnaround time from ten days to approximately three, a critical factor in attracting more shipping lines.
To manage the increased flow of cargo, the TPA is also expanding its inland logistics capacity. The Kwala Inland Container Depot, linked to the port by rail, is designed to handle over 300,000 containers annually, representing about 30 per cent of Dar es Salaam’s container traffic and aiming to ease congestion at the port.
The 54.59 million tonne figure was announced by TPA’s Operations Coordination Manager, Josephat Lukindo, at a shipping council conference in Dar es Salaam. While recent official press statements from the TPA have cited a more conservative target of 30 million tonnes by 2030, Mr Lukindo’s statement suggests a more aggressive internal ambition.
He noted that the current road congestion in Dar es Salaam is a “sign of port efficiency, not failure.” He emphasised that achieving the new target would require close collaboration between the public and private sectors.
The Port of Dar es Salaam serves as a vital trade gateway for several landlocked countries, including Zambia, Malawi, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The expansion is a cornerstone of Tanzania’s Vision 2050, which aims to transform the nation into a one-trillion-dollar economy.
