BREAKING: Zimbabwe has secured 10 hectares of land at Kwala in Tanzania’s Coastal Region for the development of a dedicated dry port terminal, in a move expe...
Zimbabwe has secured 10 hectares of land at Kwala in Tanzania’s Coastal Region for the development of a dedicated dry port terminal, in a move expected to give the landlocked country another route for handling imports and exports.
The development follows progress in bilateral discussions between Zimbabwe and Tanzania over the establishment and operation of the facility.
Officials from Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development and their Tanzanian counterparts met in Harare this month to review cooperation on the proposed dry port.
According to Zimbabwean officials, the two countries are at an advanced stage of negotiations towards signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will provide the framework for cooperation on the project.
The proposed agreement is expected to pave the way for more detailed arrangements covering the development, operation and use of Zimbabwe’s allocated site.
The 10-hectare allocation at Kwala gives Zimbabwe a dedicated foothold within a major Tanzanian logistics hub linked to the Port of Dar es Salaam. The move could provide Zimbabwean importers and exporters with an additional gateway for international cargo.
Kwala is located in Tanzania’s Coastal Region, in Kibaha District, and forms part of the country’s efforts to move cargo away from the congested Dar es Salaam port and surrounding city roads.
The Kwala Dry Port was officially inaugurated in July 2025 alongside the launch of freight services on Tanzania’s Standard Gauge Railway network. The facility is designed to connect port cargo with inland destinations through rail and road infrastructure.
The facility has been developed as an inland extension of Dar es Salaam Port, with authorities expecting it to handle a significant volume of cargo destined for Tanzania and other landlocked countries in the region.
Tanzanian authorities have said Kwala is designed to handle up to about 823 containers a day, equivalent to more than 300,000 containers annually. The facility is also expected to absorb up to 30 percent of cargo currently handled through Dar es Salaam Port.
The logistics centre is connected to the Standard Gauge Railway, providing a rail option for moving containers between Dar es Salaam and inland destinations.
That rail connection is particularly important for Zimbabwe because the proposed facility would not operate as an isolated storage site. Its value would depend on efficient movement of cargo from Tanzania’s seaport through the Central Corridor and onward to Zimbabwe.
The Central Corridor is an established regional transport network linking Tanzania with several landlocked countries in East and Central Africa. Its infrastructure includes road, rail and port connections designed to facilitate regional trade.
For Zimbabwe, the Kwala project comes as the country seeks to broaden its options for moving goods in and out of the region.
Zimbabwe has traditionally relied heavily on regional transport corridors, including the Beira Corridor through Mozambique. Additional access through Tanzania could give businesses another option when selecting routes for imports and exports.
The development could be particularly relevant to cargo originating from or destined for Asian and Middle Eastern markets, although the actual commercial benefits will depend on transport costs, customs arrangements, rail capacity and the final operating model agreed by the two governments.
The Kwala allocation also comes as Tanzania expands the use of the dry port to serve regional transit trade.
A 2025 report by the Central Corridor Transport Facilitation Agency noted that Tanzania had been allocating land at strategic locations for dry port development to facilitate regional cargo movement and reduce pressure on Dar es Salaam.
The project is therefore part of a broader regional effort to shift some cargo handling and clearance activities away from seaports and closer to inland markets.
For Zimbabwe, establishing a dedicated terminal could eventually allow cargo destined for the country to be consolidated, stored and processed at Kwala before onward transportation.
However, the project is not yet a fully operational Zimbabwean dry port. The two governments still have to conclude the MoU and develop the agreements and infrastructure required before the facility can begin operating as intended.
Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Transport has said the MoU will provide the framework for cooperation before definitive agreements are concluded for implementation and operation of the facility.
The Kwala development also comes against the backdrop of other dry port projects in the region.
Zimbabwe is developing a dry port at Mutare as part of efforts to improve cargo handling and ease pressure around the Forbes Border Post. Mozambique is also developing a dry port at Dondo as an extension of the Port of Beira.
These projects could give Zimbabwean traders more options when choosing regional gateways, depending on the destination, cargo type, costs and availability of transport services.
The Kwala project could therefore become another component of Zimbabwe’s broader logistics strategy as the country seeks to improve the movement of goods and strengthen connections with regional and international markets.
For Tanzania, the allocation also reinforces Kwala’s role as a regional logistics centre rather than simply a facility serving domestic cargo.
Tanzania has been positioning Kwala as part of its wider ambition to strengthen the Central Corridor and make Dar es Salaam a more efficient gateway for landlocked countries.
The next stage will depend on the conclusion of the MoU between Zimbabwe and Tanzania, followed by the agreements and investments required to establish the Zimbabwean terminal.
If implemented, the facility would give Zimbabwe a physical logistics presence in Tanzania while providing businesses with another potential route to and from international markets through Dar es Salaam.
