Madam President, Without the Kigoma Shipyard, the SGR to Kigoma risks falling short
Tanzania is launching the Tabora-Kigoma SGR project, but experts warn it may fail to reach its full economic potential without the completion of the Katabe Shipyard. The shipyard is essential for integrating rail and lake transport to facilitate trade with the DRC.
Why it matters
The project is critical for regional trade logistics in East Africa, and funding delays threaten to turn a major freight corridor into a limited passenger-only line.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan is expected to launch the construction of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) from Tabora to Kigoma on Monday, July 20. It is a milestone worthy of recognition. For decades, the people of Kigoma have campaigned for a modern railway to connect the region with the rest of the country. That aspiration is finally becoming a reality, albeit later than many had hoped.
However, the railway was never an end in itself. It was envisioned as one component of a broader transport and logistics system capable of transforming Kigoma into Tanzania's western trade gateway and strengthening its role in the Great Lakes region.
Kigoma occupies a strategic geographical position. Through the Port of Kigoma, Tanzania serves eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a region rich in minerals and with growing trade potential.
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