Upsurge in cargo traffic expected at port of Mombasa as maritime experts tackle hinterland transport challenges

KPA Ag. MD Dr. Arch. Daniel Manduku presents a KPA plaque to PMAESA Ag. Secretary General Col. Andre Ciseau. On the left is KPA's General Manager Corporate Services Mr. Edward Kamau.

The port of Mombasa will soon experience a surge in cargo traffic when recommendations made by maritime experts to streamline inland movement of cargo are implemented in the near future.

Plans are also underway to boost cruise tourism in the region by encouraging tourists landing at Mombasa to visit tourism destinations located in landlocked countries such as Uganda.

Uganda State Minister for Transport Hon. Aggrey Bageire said the high cost of moving goods between the landlocked nation and the Port of Mombasa will be significantly reduced with increased collaboration between the East African member countries.

“Integrating Cruise Tourism Concept will help attract tourists to some of our inland waterbodies. This will make tourists not to only focus on coastal areas but also the hinterlands; Uganda has a lot to offer in terms of tourism and with great potential for development,” he added.

Mr. Bageire was speaking during the official opening of  Port Management Association of Eastern and Southern Africa (PMAESA) conference held in Entebbe, Uganda from 1^st to 3^rd August 2018.

In January 2014, the five East African Community members (EAC) -- Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi -- adopted the  Single Customs Territory model with the aim of boosting the volume of cargo at the two regional ports.

Mr. Bageire said it was essential that other aspects of the model be implemented to eliminate trade barriers especially for the landlocked countries.

“As most of you may be aware, we recently launched the Busia One Stop Border Post (OSBP) with the aim of boosting regional and international trade. This OSBP modal has greatly reduced the average time required to cross the border between Uganda and Kenya at Busia border post,” He said.

PMAESA chairman Mr. Bisey Uirab noted that one of our biggest challenges to regional trade was funding of logistics infrastructure and this is a major barrier especially for less developed landlocked countries.

“The era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution is now upon us. The wonders of technology such as drones and automated transport infrastructure will reduce the time and cost of trading and dramatically shift the competitive edge of a country.   We need to embrace the benefits and efficiencies offered by new technologies to ensure we shift gear in the right direction,” he said. Mr. Bisey is also the managing Director of Namibia Ports authority.

Uganda relies heavily on the Port of Mombasa to move its imports and exports between the country and other international markets.

The primary mode of transport to and from the port is road, which is characterised by a number of costs such as high road maintenance costs, fuel costs, environmental costs and related non-tariff barriers that cause delays and increased costs of transportation.

The recommendations made at this year’s conference will complement the ongoing port expansion at the Second Container terminal and the extension of the Standard Gauge Railway towards the Kenya-Uganda border.

The conference comes just two weeks after KPA Ag. Managing Director Dr Arch. Daniel Manduku said the Authority will complement PMAESA secretariat human resource aspect especially in the area of communication and data management.

During a courtesy call to the Ag. Secretary General of the non -profit intergovernmental organization, Col. Andre Ciseau, last month, Mr Manduku noted that the Authority will consider assisting PMAESA in boosting its ICT section while it remained active in meetings and engaging other stakeholders. Mr. Manduku also attended the conference and PMAESA board meeting.

Also present were the Managing Directors of TRANSNET (South Africa Ports), Namibia Ports Authority, Sudan Ports Authority, Kenya Ports Authority, Zambia Ports and  Harbours, Mauritius Ports Authority, Seychelles Ports Authority, Ministry of Transport, Uganda Tourism Board and  Kwazulu Natal tourism Board.