Tanzania: Kikwete eyes private funding for central transport corridor
23 avril 2014
The Citizen
The government seeks to mobilise funds from both local and international sources so as to improve the central transport corridor -- especially by expanding Dar es Salaam Port and revamping the central railway line.
Addressing delegates at the alignment meeting on the development of central transport corridor organized by the World Economic Forum (WEF) yesterday, President Jakaya Kikwete said the government sought to raise $4.13 (Sh6.5 trillion) for the task.
He said the central transport corridor was crucial not only for Tanzania, but for Burundi, Rwanda, DR Congo and Uganda whose economic growth continues to depend on it over the years.
"We have earmarked to increase throughput of the Dar es Salaam Port from the current 13 million tonnes per year to 18 million tonnes annually by end of 2015.
"Furthermore, it is targeted to reduce time taken by a truck to transport a transit container from the Dar es Salaam Port to the borders of Burundi and Rwanda to 2½ days from the current 3½ days by the end of 2015," he says.
This is the rationale behind out touting for the standard gauge for the railway, distance of about 1,591 kilometres," he said.
According to him, partner states had already done all preliminary studies sponsored by the African Development Bank (AfDB).
Earlier the President said that as for the case of project for expansion of Dar es Salaam Port, the progress was going on smoothly, but the only headache was for development partners to finance rehabilitation of the central railway line.
He called upon the delegates to come up with workable solutions for the problems affecting the central transport corridor.
"It is time we encouraged further private sector participation. It remains an alternative and viable option to minimise the public financing gap in infrastructure development," said President Kikwete, who also expressed his hope that the meeting would deliver.
Original article by Ludger Kasumuni
Catégorie: Transport