Tanzania will begin construction of the Bagamoyo deep-sea port in December 2025, reviving a US$10 billion project that stalled for nearly a decade.
Government Chief Spokesperson Gerson Msigwa said in Dar es Salaam that the port, about 75 kilometres north of the city, will anchor a special economic zone with industrial parks and new transport links.
The facility is planned to have 28 berths, with the first phase covering 14, and a depth of up to 20 metres to take the world’s largest container ships.
“This is a port that can receive and serve a very large ship, one that can carry up to 25,000 containers,” Msigwa said.
The original 2013 framework agreement involved China Merchants Holdings International and Oman’s State General Reserve Fund, tied to a US$10 billion plan and projections of up to 20 million TEUs by 2045.
Progress halted in 2019 after former president John Magufuli criticised the terms, including a 99-year lease and tax exemptions. Talks resumed under President Samia Suluhu Hassan in 2021.
Msigwa said the government will start work with or without foreign investors. The project is intended to relieve congestion at Dar es Salaam, where DP World operates key berths under a concession the government says has raised throughput and revenue.
Officials have not disclosed the final financing model or named a main contractor, leaving open whether the revived design will match the original capacity plans.
