Transport minister Dr Harrison Mwakyembe has ordered the reduction of unnecessary checkpoints across the Tanzania, saying they were slowing down movement of goods and adding to cost of doing business.

The move comes following outcry by truck owners, demanding that government through the ministry of Transport reduce the number of checkpoints which have slowed deliveries.

Dr Mwakyembe gave the directive yesterday in Dar es Salaam when launching the Ministerial Delivery Unit (MDU) which will deal with receiving annual implementation reports of each department.

He said currently there are at least 52 checkpoints countrywide and the aim of removing them is to ease truck passage to deliver cargo on time.
“I have ordered the reductions of unnecessary checkpoints along the roads so as to enable goods to reach destinations in time,” he said.

He said the aim is to reduce them to 3 in each road, because 98 percent of goods are transported by trucks. He argued that the vast majority of checkpoints are there to benefit a few people and do not serve the intended purpose.

According to Dr Mwakyembe, there has been been an outcry from truck owners that the checkpoints are the cause of delays in delivering cargo as well and that corrupt officials use the checkpoints to line their pockets.

“One of the ministry’s strategies is to ensure that goods reach destinations in time without hindrances,” he stressed.

Expounding on how the government will modify the Dar es Salaam Port, Dr Mwakyembe underscored that no one has a permanent job at the port.

He warned that anyone who will not perform accordingly will be dismissed.

“There is no time to tolerate anyone who does not perform as required…so let me send them a message. If one thinks they are not in a position to perform their duties, they should just resign and look for a job elsewhere,” he warned.

He stressed that the aim is to make the port one of the best gateways not only in East Africa but across Africa, noting that the focus is to implement the central transport corridor plan by 2015, including boosting cargo delivery from 12.1 million to 18 million tonnes per year.

He said the railway sector was still weak, only managing to ferry 200,000 tonnes per year.

“This is why 98 percent of goods are transported by road, something that damages our roads,” he said, adding that the government aims to increase its loading capacity to 3 million tonnes annually.