Dar es Salaam. The Democratic Republic of the Congo(DRC) has strengthened its position as the largest user of Tanzania’s ports after cargo handled for the country surged by more than 73 percent in 2025, underscoring the growing importance of the Central African nation to Tanzania’s regional trade and logistics sector.
Official port statistics show that cargo destined for or originating from the DRC through the Port of Dar es Salaam and Tanga increased from 4,180,902 tonnes in 2024 to 7,239,741 tonnes in 2025, representing a 73.2 percent increase.
The sharp growth means the DRC accounted for 51 percent of all transit cargo handled by Tanzania’s ports in 2025. Overall transit cargo serving neighbouring countries rose to 14,250,087 tonnes in 2025 from 9,187,061 tonnes the previous year.
The figures reinforce the DRC’s status as Tanzania’s largest transit cargo partner, highlighting the strategic role of the Port of Dar es Salaam in facilitating regional trade for landlocked countries. As a member of both the East African Community and the Southern African Development Community, the DRC has become an increasingly important market for Tanzania’s transport and logistics services.
After the DRC, Zambia ranked second with 3.5 million tonnes of cargo handled through Tanzanian ports, followed by Rwanda with 2.2 million tonnes.
Other neighbouring countries served by Tanzania’s ports during 2025 included Malawi with 719,838 tonnes, Burundi with 494,698 tonnes, and Uganda with approximately 47,605 tonnes.
An additional 56,229 tonnes of cargo was handled for other regional markets, including Mozambique, Sudan, Kenya, Comoros, Angola and Zimbabwe.
