Madeni Kipande, Acting Director of Tanzania’s Port Authority (TPA), has been suspended indefinitely by Samuel Sitta, Tanzania’s Minister for Transport, after allegedly violating procurement procedures.
The suspension follows a number of complaints submitted by port users who claim that there was a ‘lack of transparency’ and ‘irregularities’ in the tendering processes at the Port of Dar es Salaam.
Tanzania and its neighbouring countries lose up to US$2.6 billion a year through port inefficiencies, according to World Maritime News.
Daniel Mchome, Chairman of the Tanzania Shippers Council, welcomed the suspension as the TPA had ignored the private sector in the decision making process for over two years.
The Port of Dar es Salaam is set to undergo a $565 million expansion that looks to boost Tanzania’s port capacity to 28 million tonnes a year by 2020.
(Source: Construction View Online)
