Zambia is moving ahead with plans to upgrade Mpulungu Port on Lake Tanganyika and develop a railway connection to the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) network to improve freight access to Central and East African markets, the Ministry of Transport and Logistics has announced.
The project includes upgrading the port and developing a rail link from Nseluka to Mpulungu, creating a connection between Zambia’s rail network and shipping services on Lake Tanganyika.
The rail connection would improve freight movement between the two transport modes. The planned upgrade is expected to increase the port’s annual cargo handling capacity from 200 000 tonnes to approximately 800 000 tonnes, while also expanding passenger handling capacity, the ministry said.
Mpulungu is Zambia’s only international port and provides access to Burundi, the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and Tanzania via Lake Tanganyika, serving as an important trade gateway for cargo moving between Zambia and the Great Lakes region.
The project forms part of broader efforts to modernise Zambia’s transport infrastructure and strengthen regional trade and economic integration.