The Mtwara Development Project is a major infrastructure development project involving southern Tanzania, northern Mozambique, eastern Malawi and Eastern Zambia. The goal of this project is to provide road, rail and waterway access from the surrounding region to the Port of Mtwara. [1] The region and the corridor has been neglected by the respective governments for over 40 years and the recent discovery of oil, gas and various minerals has kick started the development of the project. [2] A road and rail link is to be built from the port of Mtwara to Mbamba Bay on Lake Nyasa to link Malawi to the corridor and further road links into Mozambique will facilitate access to northern Mozambique. [3]
The talks of the project began during the early 2000s where leaders of the 4 SADC community members met to create a shorter/alternative path for cargo into the region from the Dar es salaam port. The last time the region saw a major infrastructure investment was during the colonial times. The Mtwara port and a minor railway link was developed during the British colonial times as part of the failed Tanganyika groundnut scheme. [4] Post colonial times the south of Tanzania had seen very little development and was often neglected in infrastructure projects as the region brought very little revenue to the coffers. [5]
In late 2004 the leaders of the four participating countries; Benjamin Mkapa (Tanzania), Joaquim Chissano (Mozambique), Bingu wa Mutharika (Malawi) and Levy Mwanawasa (Zambia) managed to sign a Memorandum of Understanding to make the Mtwara Development Corridor a reality. The aim of the corridor was to create competitive transport links for the region to help boost the informal and formal industry. The project was to help regional integration to facilitate growth in agriculture, fisheries, tourism and the mining sector. The development project involved building and rehabilitating over 800 kilometres (500 mi) of roads and involved the construction of Unity Bridge. Furthermore, the ports of Mtwara and Mbamba Bay were to be upgraded to handle high volumes of cargo. [6]
To help boost business in the area the Tanzania Ports Authority embarked on a project to introduce three new ships into Lake Nyasa. The authority will buy 2 cargo ships each with a capacity of 1,000 tonnes and one passenger ferry. [7]
An 804 kilometres (500 mi) road from the port of Mtwara to Songea has a sealed surface already. [8] The onward route through to Mbamba Bay via Mbinga is not all sealed. Furthermore, another road from the Mtwara-Songea highway branches off to the Ruvuma River at the Mozambique border. At the border the Unity bridge was completed in 2010 and Mozambique is to construct a 175 kilometres (109 mi) road from Negomano to Mueda connecting the corridor to Mozambique's highway 246. [9]
With the high amounts of mineral deposits found in the south along the corridor the Government of Tanzania deemed the construction of a railway to be economically feasible. The railway line is to span 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) from Mtwara port to Mbamba Bay through Mchuchuma and Liganga areas. The railway line is to cost TSh 8.4 trillion and the Government of Tanzania is looking to implement the project under a Public and Private Partnership (PPP). The railway line will complement all the coal and iron mining operations in Mchuchuma and Liganga and make Tanzanian coal and iron exports more attractive internationally. [2]
The Unity Bridge spans across the Ruvuma river from Tanzania to Mozambique. It was a dream of the two former presidents of the country Julius Nyerere of Tanzania and Samora Machel of Mozambique. Plans for the bridge were inked in 2005 and it was completed five years later in 2010. A border post was constructed in Negomano and is the first bridge to span between the two countries. The Bridge was crucial to the Mtwara Development Corridor project as it connected the two major highways in the region and was the key to cross border trade between the countries. The bridge also provides a road link between Mtwara port and Malawi. Plans are underway to create a second bridge, Unity Bridge 2 180 kilometres (110 mi) south of Songea. The bridge would connect Kivikoni in the Songea Rural district, to Lupilichi, Mozambique. [10]
The port will be accompanied with an export processing zone to help fast track the regional economy and bring in revenue for the port. The special zone saw an investment of over $700,000 in December 2015 from the Dar es Salaam-based firm Alistar Free Ports Limited. Over 100 hectares (250 acres) have been set for an industrial zone and over 400 hectares (990 acres) have been set for oil/gas activities. [11]
With the development of the road and rail links, the transport corridor can provide an alternative route for goods moving in and out of Malawi. The development plan involves upgrading both Mbamba Bay in Tanzania and Nkhata Bay in Malawi. [12] The project will also involve purchasing high capacity ferries to move cargo and passengers between the terminals. [13]
Exploration works in Mchuchuma have Liganga concluded that there is over 364 million tonnes of coal and 219 million tonnes of iron ore deposits at the twin projects. These have one of the largest estimates of iron ore deposits in the country and the mines are estimated to operate well over 100 years and will continue to foster and develop the regional economy. [14] The Liganga Mines are also known to be rich in Vanadium and Titanium and its plausibility is still being explored.
Mining operations in the region especially with coal have already kicked off, TANCOAL Energy Limited (a joint venture of NDC and Intra Energy Corporation of Australia) has been conducting coal mining operations in the region and have already started to sell the coal domestically. In 2014/2015 the company managed to extract over 300,000 tonnes of coal and sells most of its coal locally to the domestic cement manufacturers. The construction of the rail link will help export the coal through the Mtwara Port. [15]
The Mchuchuma coal projects are set to begin operations in 2016 as per the Ministry for Trade and Industry. The TSh 5 trillion is project under the Tanzania China International Mineral Resources Ltd (TCIMRL), a joint venture between the National Development Corporation (NDC) and the Chinese firm Sichuan Hongda Group. It is categorized as the largest single industrial investment since Tanzania was awarded its independence in 1961. The project is expected to create 32,000 direct jobs and will bring Tanzania to being the third largest producer of iron in Africa. [15]
The Mtwara corridor is currently disconnected from the national grid and energy in the region is dependent on outlying thermal power plants. The growing mining operations and the expansion of industry in Mtwara will need reliable energy supply. To power the Coal and Iron operations the state energy firm TANESCO plans to construct a 600MW coal fired power plant of which 250MW will be used by the Iron industry and the remaining 350MW will be fed into the national grid. [15] The recent[ when? ] discoveries of natural gas in the region will facilitate another 600MW gas fired power plant in Mtwara to feed to the nearby region and into the national grid. The power plant project will also involve the extension of transmission lines from Mtwara to Songea to ensure the entire southern region is connected to the grid. [16] The kick off of these projects will bring a massive surplus in energy and in the future, the southern region governments plan to extend the transmission lines into Mozambique and Malawi. [17]
The southern part of Tanzania and northern Mozambique are home to vast natural reserves such as the Selous Game Reserve and the Niassa Reserve. The border of Tanzania and Mozambique is drawn by the Ruvuma River and the regions around it has been named the Great Ruvuma Wilderness (GROW) by the wildlife community. The wildness is the last great wilderness of Africa and is home to various important species of large mammals and marine life. Due to large amounts of poverty and lack of development in the area the region's population relies on the natural habitat for survival. The construction of the infrastructure projects have led to various abuses of the natural environment. The construction of the new roads and the Unity Bridge in recent years has increased the amount of illegal logging in the region. [18] The Niassa reserve where the Unity bridge goes through is home to 43% of Mozambique's elephants and in the past three years[ when? ] it has been estimated that 2/3 of the elephants have been lost. [19] The road rehabilitation projects have also caused various unplanned settlements to spring up, interfering with the wildlife's natural movement patterns. [18]
Transportation in Malawi is poorly developed. The country of almost 14 million has 39 airports, 6 with paved runways and 33 with unpaved runways. It has 797 kilometres of railways, all narrow-gauge and about 45 percent of its roads are paved. Though it is landlocked, Malawi also has 700 km (435 mi) of waterways on Lake Malawi and along the Shire River.
Ruvuma Region is one of Tanzania's 31 administrative regions. The region covers a land area of 63,669 km2 (24,583 sq mi), comparable in size to the nation state of Latvia. The region is also bordered to the north by the Morogoro Region, to the northeast by the Lindi Region, to the east by the Mtwara Region,the west by Lake Nyasa with Malawi and to the northwest by the Njombe Region. The regional capital is the municipality of Songea.
Songea is the capital of Ruvuma Region in southwestern Tanzania. It is located along the A19 road. The city has a population of 286,285, and is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Songea. Between 1905 and 1907, the city was a centre of African resistance during the Maji Maji Rebellion in German East Africa. The city is poised to experience significant economic growth in the near future as the Mtwara Corridor opens up in a few years. It is projected to be the sixth fastest growing city on the African continent between 2020 and 2025, with a 5.74% growth.
Ruvuma River, formerly also known as the Rovuma River, is a river in the African Great Lakes region. During the greater part of its course, it forms the border between Tanzania and Mozambique. The river is 998 km (620 mi) long, with a drainage basin of ~155,000 km2 (60,000 sq mi) in size. Its mean annual discharge is 475 m3/s (16,800 cu ft/s) to 2,286 m3/s (80,700 cu ft/s) at its mouth.
Mtwara is the capital city of Mtwara Region in southeastern Tanzania. In the 1940s, it was planned and constructed as the export facility for the disastrous Tanganyika groundnut scheme, but was somewhat neglected when the scheme was abandoned in 1951. The city is spread out over a large area planned to accommodate up to 200,000 people. The present population is around 141,000. As part of the development associated with the failed Tanganyika groundnut scheme, Mtwara features a deep-water port that can accommodate ocean-going vessels, and a range of large municipal buildings, including a post office. Recent improvements in the port made it possible for big container ships to berth there.
Mbinga District is one of the five districts of the Ruvuma Region of Tanzania. It is bordered to the north by the Njombe Region, to the east by Songea Rural District and Songea Urban District, to the south by Mozambique and to the west by Lake Nyasa. The district is partly home to the Liparamba Game Reserve. Notable people are Oscar Kambona, former minister of foreign affairs.
Mbamba Bay is a town in western Tanzania, lying on the eastern shore of Lake Malawi/Lake Nyasa.
Ligunga is a town in southern Tanzania near the border with Mozambique.
The Unity Bridge across Ruvuma River at Negomano, Mozambique, between Tanzania and Mozambique, was proposed as early as 1975, shortly after Mozambique's independence. It was the idea of the two countries' former Presidents, Mwalimu Nyerere and Samora Machel. Several design studies and limited construction work were completed in the early 1980s, but the Unity Bridge was not finished due to lack of funds.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Tanzania:
Railway stations in Tanzania include:
Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) is a parastatal public corporation acting under the aegis of the Ministry of Infrastructure Development, that has the responsibility "to manage and operate" the ocean ports and lake ports of the country of Tanzania. The Tanzania Ports Authority headquarters are located in Mchafukoge ward of Ilala District in Dar es Salaam Region. It is a member of the Port Management Association of Eastern and Southern Africa.
The Lugenda or Lujenda is a river of northern Mozambique. It flows in a south-north direction from Lake Amaramba/Lake Chiuta and is the largest tributary of the Ruvuma River. It joins the Luambala River at 13°26′12″S36°18′20″E. The river valley is reported to be only 800 feet (240 m) above sea level. North of Lake Chiuta, those on the west bank call it the Msambiti River. At one point, the Lugenda splits into several streams with islands between them, some of whom are populated such as the island Achemponda.
Negomano or Ngomano is a village in northern Mozambique, in Cabo Delgado Province. It is located on the border with Tanzania on the confluence of the Ruvuma River and the Lugenda River.
The Mtwara–Mbamba Bay Road, also called the A19 Road, connects the city of Mtwara on the Indian Ocean coast, to the town of Mbamba Bay on the eastern coast of Lake Malawi. It is a busy and important transport corridor in the southern regions of Tanzania. It is also an integral part of the Mtwara Development Corridor that spans four Southern African countries; Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia.
The Mtwara Port was built during the British Colonial times in the city of Mtwara in southern Tanzania. The harbor at the Port of Mtwara was deepened during the colonial times by the British in 1948-1954, and a railway line was built connecting the port, as part of the Tanganyika groundnut scheme. Due to the failure of the scheme the port immediately lost value and the railway line was removed. The port was functional but underutilized for many years due to poor transport infrastructure, However, in the years of 2010-2011 the increased activity in oil and gas natural resources energy exploration caused a surge on operations. The Mtwara port is also an integral part of the Mtwara Development Corridor project and has recently seen major upgrades. The port also has a special economic zone attached to it and In December 2015 Alistair Freeports Limited injected $700,000 to upgrade the Export processing zone around the port area.
Tanzania–Mozambique relations are bilateral relations between Tanzania and Mozambique.
Mtwara Mikindani Municipal District Council is one of eight regional councils of the Mtwara Region in Tanzania. It is bordered to the north by the Lindi Region, to the east by the Indian Ocean and to the south and west by the Mtwara District. In 2016, the municipality has a total population of 113,732.
Nanyamba Town, is a district established in 2016 of the Mtwara Region in the southern coastal Tanzania. Nanyamba is in the eastern portion of the Mtwara Region, near the coast.
The Liparamba Game Reserve is a protected area located in Mbinga District, Songea & Nyasa District Districts of Ruvuma Region of Tanzania that covers an area of 571 km2 (220 sq mi). The Liparamba Game Reserve was established by Government Notice Number 289 of the year 2000. Following designation, Mbinga District Council managed it until 2006, when Director of Wildlife at Tanzania Wildlife Management Authority (TAWA) took over its management.