Rising cargo to the DRC and Rwanda is strengthening Dar es Salaam’s regional role, but the bigger contest will be decided by roads, railways, borders and the cost of reaching inland markets.
DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania — Transit cargo through Dar es Salaam Port rose 17% to 14.61 million tonnes in the 2025/26 financial year, led by stronger flows to the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda as competition intensifies over the trade routes connecting inland Africa with global markets.
The DRC accounted for more than half of the traffic. Cargo destined for the country rose 30% to 7.77 million tonnes, while Rwanda-bound volumes increased 24% to 2.18 million tonnes. Zambia remained a major market at 3.41 million tonnes, although its traffic fell 5%.
Total cargo handled at Dar es Salaam rose 21.5% to 33.71 million tonnes. The increase comes as Tanzania invests in the port and the road, rail and inland logistics systems needed to move goods towards markets including the DRC, Zambia, Rwanda, Burundi and Malawi.
That inland connection is what gives the numbers wider significance.
The DRC and Zambia sit within one of the world’s most important copper-producing regions. The International Energy Agency expects copper demand to continue rising as investment expands in electricity grids, electric vehicles and other technologies, while new projects in the DRC and Zambia form part of the expected global supply response.
At Dar es Salaam’s Terminal 1, DP World has operated berths zero to seven since April 2024 under a 30-year concession. Company officials said in April that $123 million had been deployed on equipment and infrastructure, while DP World’s current terminal information puts its broader investment commitment at more than $500 million.
The changes are visible in cargo handling.
Terminal 1 handled 44,001 twenty-foot equivalent units, or TEUs, in May 2026, up 57% from a year earlier and more than three times the May 2024 level. DP World also says discharge times for comparable cargo have fallen by more than 90%, from above 300 hours to below 28 hours since it began operations.
The source material records further monthly increases through August, alongside investment in cranes, yards and terminal access.
But faster unloading solves only the first part of the journey.
Once cargo leaves the port, rail capacity, truck availability, customs processing and border delays begin to determine the final cost. Tanzania is expanding that inland network through projects including the Standard Gauge Railway and Kwala Dry Port, which is designed to handle about 300,000 containers a year and provide space for neighbouring countries.
Dar es Salaam is also competing against alternative routes.
Copperbelt cargo can move through southern and western African corridors as well as Tanzania. World Bank analysis has identified the Dar es Salaam corridor as one of the important routes serving freight from Zambia and the DRC alongside routes towards southern African ports.
That gives cargo owners leverage. A port can add cranes and reduce vessel turnaround times, but shippers ultimately compare the cost and reliability of the complete journey.
Dar es Salaam’s growth shows that Tanzania is carrying more regional trade. The harder test is whether faster operations at the Indian Ocean can be matched by predictable movement all the way to mines, factories, warehouses and consumers hundreds or thousands of kilometres inland.
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