BY OUR WRITER
AS Uganda and Kenya sit by, Tanzania is moving steadily with ensuring it maximises its travel business on lake Victoria which it shares with its both neighbours.
It has commissioned the new MV Mwanza ferry last week enhancing regional connectivity and supporting cross-bor der trade.
The vessel can carry 1,200 passengers, 400 tons of cargo, 20 light vehicles, and three trucks, linking ports in Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda.
The ferry cost 120 billion Tanzanian shillings ($46.9 million) and is part of Tanzania’s broader strategy to develop an integrated transport and logistics network.
The vessel will facilitate passenger and cargo transport across the lake, reinforcing regional trade and connectivity.
It will connect Bukoba port with other Tanzanian ports, the Kenyan port of Kisumu, and the Ugandan ports of Port Bell and Jinja.
Built by two South Korean firms at the Mwanza shipyard, the ferry cost an estimated 120 billion Tanzanian shillings ($46.9 million).
Tanzanian authorities present the project as a tool to strengthen national public transport capacity, improve supply chain performance, and facilitate cross-border commerce in the East African region.
The initiative aligns with Tanzania’s broader strategy to establish an integrated transport and logistics network, combining road, rail, maritime, and inland waterway corridors. In line with this vision, Dar es Salaam has intensified investments in port modernization and the standard-gauge railway (SGR) network, which aims to boost connectivity with landlocked countries including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Rwanda, and Uganda.