DAR ES SALAAM – South Sudan has asked Tanzania to allocate land for an inland container depot, seeking to expand its access to international markets through Tanzanian transport routes and diversify cargo transit options for the landlocked country.
Transport Ministry Undersecretary Paul Dhel Gum made the request on Thursday at the 10th Assembly of Ministers of the Maritime Organisation of Eastern, Southern and Northern Africa (MOESNA).
“We are not asking Tanzania simply to provide land. We are proposing a partnership that will create economic value, expand trade, strengthen transport connectivity and bring our two nations closer together,” Gum said.
The request follows an agreement earlier this year under which South Sudan secured designated land at the ports of Dar es Salaam and Tanga for cargo terminals. The proposed inland container depot would involve separate land, adding another component to South Sudan’s efforts to improve cargo handling and access to international markets.
Tanzania has not yet responded to the request. Gum did not specify the amount of land sought, its proposed location, the cost of developing the facility or when it might become operational.
Gum said South Sudan want to use Dar es Salaam as an additional gateway to international markets alongside Kenya’s Port of Mombasa, which has historically served the country’s import and export trade.
“Just as the Port of Mombasa has historically served our trade interests, Dar es Salaam presents another important opportunity to diversify our access to the sea and strengthen the resilience of our national supply chains,” he said.
The proposed depot could support cargo handling, customs coordination and the movement of goods destined for South Sudan. An additional logistics facility could give importers and exporters more options for moving goods through regional transport networks.
Dar es Salaam is Tanzania’s principal seaport, handling about 95% of the country’s international trade and serving landlocked countries across East and Central Africa, including Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to the Tanzania Ports Authority.
South Sudan relies on neighbouring countries for access to seaports, making transport links and customs arrangements important to the movement and cost of imported goods. Gum said the country’s landlocked status should not limit its economic ambitions and called for stronger connections between ports, roads, railways, inland waterways and logistics facilities.
“Geography may define our borders, but it must never define the limits of our economic ambitions,” he said.
South Sudan is also applying for full membership in MOESNA, having previously participated in the organisation’s activities as an observer. The application is intended to strengthen the country’s engagement in maritime trade and provide opportunities for technical support, training and expertise in logistics.
“Our ambition is not simply to join an organisation whose achievements we admire. Our ambition is to develop the national capacity to contribute to those achievements and eventually become a source of expertise and opportunity for others,” Gum said.
Gum said South Sudan was ready to meet the obligations of membership and contribute to the organisation’s programmes, urging member states to support the country’s institutional development.
The proposed depot adds another request to transport cooperation between Juba and Dar es Salaam. Its development will depend on Tanzania’s response and any subsequent agreement on the allocation of land.