Zimbabwe has secured 10 hectares at Kwala in Tanzania’s Coastal Region for a dedicated dry port terminal, giving the landlocked country a direct foothold on the Central Corridor and another route to the sea.
Officials from Zimbabwe and Tanzania are finalising an MoU covering the project after talks in Harare this week.
Zimbabwe’s transport ministry said the agreement will provide the framework for cooperation before definitive deals are signed to implement and operate the facility.
The move is significant for a country heavily reliant on the congested Beira Corridor through Mozambique. A Kwala base would give Zimbabwean importers and exporters another option via Dar es Salaam, particularly for cargo moving to and from Asian and Middle Eastern markets.
Tanzania opened the wider Kwala dry port in 2025 to relieve pressure on Dar es Salaam port. The facility is linked to the Central Corridor rail and road network serving Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and is expected to absorb up to 30% of cargo currently handled through Dar es Salaam. Zimbabwe’s allocation plugs it directly into that same logistics network.
The deal comes as Harare also develops a dry port at Mutare to ease congestion at Forbes Border Post, while Mozambique is advancing a $110m dry port at Dondo as an extension of the Port of Beira.
Together, the projects give Zimbabwe a more diversified set of gateway options and reduce its dependence on a single regional trade corridor.
