Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have agreed to fast-track transport and trade projects aimed at cutting the cost and time of moving goods between the two countries and strengthening business ties.
The agreement was reached on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, during talks between President Samia Suluhu Hassan and her DRC counterpart, Félix Tshisekedi, at the Zanzibar State Lodge.
President Tshisekedi is in Tanzania on an official visit at the invitation of President Samia.
At the meeting, President Samia said improving road and railway networks, port services and water transport would be critical to making the Central Corridor more efficient for DRC cargo.
“Our goal is to make it easier to transport goods between Tanzania and the DRC by improving transport infrastructure and services, reducing time and costs, and in turn increasing trade and investment between our two countries,” President Samia said.
The DRC is one of the biggest users of Tanzanian ports, with about 7.2 million tonnes of cargo handled in 2023, highlighting the growing importance of the Dar es Salaam port route to the Congolese economy.
President Samia welcomed the DRC’s construction of a 450-kilometre road from Manono to Kalemie Port, saying the project, together with improvements at the port, would strengthen the movement of goods along the Central Corridor.
Tanzania, she said, was also upgrading ports on Lake Tanganyika, increasing vessel capacity and extending its railway network westwards.
The investments are expected to provide DRC businesses with more efficient access to Dar es Salaam and international markets through Tanzania.
The two countries are also looking to expand cooperation in energy, communications and mining.
President Samia called for greater cooperation in mineral exploration, extraction, processing, research and marketing to ensure the two countries capture more value from their natural resources.
She invited the DRC to join the African Minerals and Geosciences Centre (AMGC) in Tanzania, which could provide a platform for joint research, skills exchange and investment promotion in the mining sector.
President Tshisekedi echoed the call for greater mineral processing within Africa, saying value addition would help build industries and create employment.
“Africa should add value to its resources within the continent. This will enable us to build production value chains, increase the benefits from our resources and create more jobs for our young people,” he said.
President Tshisekedi said the DRC had begun preparations to construct a dry port in Dar es Salaam, a development expected to improve the handling of Congolese cargo passing through the Tanzanian port.
The facility is expected to offer customs services, cargo handling, mineral certification and quality-control services.
“We want to make trade between our countries easier. The construction of a dry port in Dar es Salaam will help improve the handling and transportation of DRC cargo passing through Tanzania,” President Tshisekedi said.
The proposed facility could further consolidate Dar es Salaam’s position as a key gateway for DRC imports and exports.
The two countries also agreed to explore opportunities to expand trade in agricultural, livestock and fisheries products.
Tanzania expressed readiness to provide specialised medical services and conduct medical camps in the DRC as part of wider cooperation in the health sector.
President Tshisekedi said the DRC was also considering increasing Air Tanzania flights to the country, a move expected to support business, tourism and people-to-people exchanges.
On security, President Samia reaffirmed Tanzania’s continued support for efforts to restore peace and stability in eastern DRC.
The latest talks have placed renewed focus on the Central Corridor and Lake Tanganyika as strategic routes for expanding Tanzania-DRC trade.
For Tanzania, stronger DRC cargo flows would support port, railway, road and logistics businesses, while increased trade could create opportunities for Tanzanian producers and service providers.
For the DRC, improved transport links would provide greater access to the Indian Ocean through Dar es Salaam, potentially giving importers and exporters more options in reaching international markets.
With both countries members of the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the two governments have a broad regional framework through which to deepen economic cooperation.
The focus now shifts to implementation, particularly the development of transport infrastructure, the proposed dry port and measures that can make cross-border trade faster, cheaper and more predictable.
