Tanga. The Sh429.1 billion injected by the government into the development of Tanga Port has already been fully recovered within just 24 months, with an additional surplus of Sh56.7 billion, thanks to robust collections by the Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) and the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA).
Tanga Port Manager, Engineer Masoud Mrisha, made the disclosure while briefing journalists on the performance of the port, saying the joint revenue collections by TPA and TRA over a two-year period totalled Sh484.8 billion.
“This is a clear indication that the government’s investment was not in vain. The money has been returned in full, and we even have change. We sincerely thank President Dr Samia Suluhu Hassan for the visionary investment that has transformed the performance of this port,” he said.
He said TPA alone had exceeded its revenue target due to improved operational capacity following the infrastructure upgrades, collecting Sh75.1 billion against a target of Sh45.6 billion—an increase of over Sh30 billion.
In the financial year 2023/24, the port had collected Sh38.7 billion, indicating a growth rate of 94 percent compared to the current fiscal year.
According to Mr Mrisha, the TRA collected Sh215.2 billion in 2024/25, with Sh107 billion generated from general cargo handled at the port and Sh108 billion from petroleum products.
Combining these figures, TPA’s Sh75.1 billion and TRA’s Sh215.2 billion make up a total of Sh290.3 billion for the 2024/25 financial year alone. In 2023/24, the two institutions collected a combined Sh195.4 billion—Sh38.7 billion from TPA and Sh156.75 billion from TRA.
Aggregated over 24 months, the combined revenue stood at Sh485.8 billion, affirming the port’s rising profile as a key revenue contributor.
Regarding cargo handling, the port processed 1,416,127 metric tonnes of cargo by the end of the 2024/25 fiscal year, surpassing the 1,191,480 tonnes handled in 2023/24—an increase of 224,647 tonnes or 11.3 percent.
Mr Mrisha noted that the number of ships handled also rose significantly. TPA had been given a target to handle 222 vessels in 2024/25 but managed 458—of which 148 were deep-sea vessels and 310 were coastal. This marked a 49.1 percent increase compared to the 307 vessels handled in 2023/24.
In terms of container traffic, the port exceeded its target of 8,351 containers by handling 9,026 in 2024/25—an increase of 8 percent. This compares with 7,817 containers handled the previous financial year, representing a year-on-year growth of 15.46 percent.
However, in passenger services, the port fell short of its 2024/25 target of 120,000 passengers, managing only 59,960, which is 50 percent of the target. The previous year, 62,904 passengers were handled.
Mr Mrisha attributed the underperformance in passenger numbers to the fact that private sector operators are responsible for running passenger vessels connecting Tanga with destinations such as Pemba and Unguja.
The impressive turnaround in Tanga Port’s performance comes in the wake of massive investment by the government to upgrade the facility’s capacity, efficiency, and connectivity as part of its broader economic development and logistics transformation agenda.
