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An average of 124,000 lorries crossed the border annually
The Tunduma-Nakonde border is increasingly emerging as the driver for cross-border trade between Tanzania, Zambia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). There has been a steady rise in both volume and value during the past nine months.
Importantly, Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan visited the area during her ongoing working visit to the Songwe Region. This breakthrough in trade among the three countries has come nine months after Tanzania and Zambia agreed to address eight out of 24 trade challenges and put up plans to resolve the remaining 16 by December 31, 2023, to effectively facilitate trade between the two countries. The top challenge is reducing truck congestion at the Tunduma border.
Tanzanian Transport Deputy Minister David Kihenzile said during the visit that the two leaders agreed to address challenges facing the border, which recorded an average of 124,000 lorries that crossed the border annually.
He said business transformation spearheaded by the sixth phase of government intervention has increased the number of lorries crossing the border to 261,000.
The volume of cargo passing the border annually has increased from three million metric tonnes to 6.2 million metric tonnes. Also, the increase includes revenue collection from Sh76 billion to Sh159 billion.
Kihenzile said the volume of cargo between Tanzania and Zambia increased from 1.1 million metric tonnes to 2.2 million metric tonnes after the revitalization of the Dar es Salaam Port. The volume of cargo transported to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) increased from 1.9 million metric tonnes to four million metric tonnes. The deputy minister said Tanzania and Zambia have been collectively working to improve the business climate in the area, including the provision of scanners on the Zambian side.
He said the construction of the Inland Container Depot (ICD) in the area will address the challenge of trucks parking on the road reserves, leading to and significantly eliminating congestion in the area.
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During the event, President Samia Suluhu Hassan urged Tanzanians to uphold unity, especially at this time when Tanzania is embracing the reconciliation philosophy, noting that the United Republic of Tanzania would remain one globally. Regarding taxation, she pleaded with Tanzanians to pay taxes and levies to enable the government to increase its revenue collections to enhance its capabilities in the execution of development projects.
She said the government was working on addressing tax-related challenges adversely affecting business prosperity, therefore hindering revenue collections.
