Bagamoyo port start: JK fires valuation officer
17th October 2015.
Villages said to have been cheated in the compensation process include Pande, Mlingotini, Zinga and Kilomo.
It is estimated that over 1,000 industrial enterprises will be set up within the Portside Industrial Zone (PIZ) following the laying down of the foundation stone by the president yesterday.
The president said that a thousand industries were no small number for the project as it will open the doors to many other markets in the region.
He said for years Bagamoyo has been known as a historical relic of the slave trade, which is going to be turned into an industrial area.
Up to its completion the port will cost a total of $10bn, boosting handling capacity at the ports of Dar es Salaam, Tanga and Mtwara which have an annual capacity of 12 million tonnes, processing 6,000 containers while employing 3,200 people including 1,500 cargo lifters.
“The new port is expected to add another 600,000 tonnes to imports handled per year, process 1,000 containers and employ 1,000 people,” the president noted.Phase one of the port project covering 100 hectares will consist of four berths of which two will be dedicated to containers, one a multipurpose general cargo service yard and a service berth, he said.
The president also said the first phase of the port project will be developed in parallel with the development of the supporting infrastructure and the PIZ.
He pointed out that expected container size is 8000 TEUs and a further 700 hectares is allocated for subsequent phases of port development.
PIZ will cover 1,700 hectares of which 70 per cent is planned for the construction of factories, workshops and warehouses and the remaining 30 per cent is for infrastructure including road connection, a green belt, water, power, gas and telecommunications, he elaborated.
President Kikwete said that it is envisioned that 100 million tonnes of steel will be produced from industries to be located in the zone, linking this development with plans where the central line will be constructed at standard gauge.
Apart from the TAZARA line, there are plans to build another railway line from Mtwara to Lake Nyasa, to help ease the load on the road network, he further stated.
He took time to appeal to the people of Bagamoyo and those of other areas in the country to take note of opportunities from the project, be ready to venture in the construction of offices and residential complexes and place emphasis on education and vocational training.
The director general for the Export Processing Zones Authority (EPZA) Col. (rtd) Joseph Simbakalia echoed the call by the president on opportunities that the port and PIZ bring up, to avoid being spectators.
Col. Simbakalia said that during the construction of the project which falls within the Bagamoyo Special Economic Zone, there will be need for raw materials like sand and gravel which will all be sourced locally. “That alone is an opportunity not to be missed,” he declared.
"I call upon everyone to avoid all activities that will bring about loss of trust among those who are investing. Investing 10bn US dollars presumes that they have trust in you, so let's repay that trust by providing full cooperation and security," he told the gathering.
He said that recent studies and reports show that in the next decade, over 60 per cent of international trade will be passing through the Indian Ocean region, in which case construction of the Bagamoyo port was quite opportune.
In another development, the government has announced that all 2000 families willingly giving up their land to pave way for the project will have a house built for them by the government in a piece of land that has already been earmarked, while the evaluation and compensation process is ongoing.
Transport minister Samwel Sitta said that building the houses has been directed by the president as “anyone who willingly gives up their livelihoods for the good of the nation deserves to be treated in a special way.”
Adding to this, Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda said that the government is ready to look for another piece of land should the one already earmarked not be adequate for those who gave up their land and dwellings.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
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