Zambia Unlocks Mpulungu Port Upgrade and TAZARA Rail Link to Reshape Lake Tanganyika Trade
Zambia is moving decisively to reposition Mpulungu Port as one of the most strategic trade and logistics gateways along Lake Tanganyika, with a major upgrade programme now firmly on the drawing board. The port, which is Zambia's only water-based facility, offers the country direct access to trade flows with Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Tanzania, and its modernisation could dramatically strengthen intra-African commerce and cross-border movement of goods across the Great Lakes region.
The announcement came during the official opening of the Regional Validation Workshop on the Draft Final Report of the Feasibility Study for the Harmonisation of Transport Legislation, Port Procedures and Operations on Lake Tanganyika. Speaking at the gathering, Zambia's Transport and Logistics Permanent Secretary, Eng. Fredrick Mwalusaka, made it clear that his country has a firm and long-term interest in Lake Tanganyika as a critical driver of trade and regional integration. He noted that Zambia has recorded significant export volumes through Mpulungu Port, buoyed by strong demand for goods and services from neighbouring markets.
For the African travel and logistics community, this development goes far beyond a routine infrastructure story. Mpulungu Port sits at the southern tip of Lake Tanganyika, connecting via water to the ports of Rumonge and Kigoma in Tanzania, Kalemie and Kalundu/Uvira in the DRC, and Bujumbura harbour in Burundi. A modernised, competitive port at this location has the potential to open new trade lanes, reduce cargo transit times, and lower the cost of doing business across an under-served corridor that also extends its influence toward Rwanda and South Sudan.
Perhaps the most exciting element of the discussion is the proposed greenfield railway linking the main TAZARA line to Mpulungu Port. If implemented, this rail extension would create a seamless interface between Zambia's national rail network, lake-based transport and the wider regional port ecosystem. The result would be a more integrated multimodal system where goods can move efficiently from the Indian Ocean coast through Tanzania into the Zambian interior and onward across the Lake Tanganyika basin. This is precisely the kind of infrastructure integration African economies have long identified as essential to competitiveness.
Godelieve Nininahazwe, Director General of the Burundi Maritime and Port Authority, who led the visiting delegation, warmly welcomed Zambia's consideration of the new rail link. She recalled that during a recent state visit to Zambia by Burundian President Évariste Ndayishimiye, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed specifically to connect the TAZARA line to Mpulungu Port, alongside several other maritime-related commitments. Nininahazwe stressed that the time had come to move from paperwork to implementation, ensuring that regional ports become genuinely competitive on the global stage.
The workshop itself brought together transport and logistics representatives from the four riparian states of Lake Tanganyika — Burundi, the DRC, Tanzania and Zambia, underscoring the collaborative energy behind this vision. The goal is to harmonise transport legislation and port procedures across the four countries, removing bureaucratic friction that has long slowed the movement of goods and people through the corridor.
For African travel sector professionals, the implications are significant. Improved trade infrastructure typically walks hand-in-hand with better tourism connectivity. As roads, railways and port facilities around Lake Tanganyika are enhanced, cross-border tourism circuits linking Zambia's northern wildlife and heritage attractions with Tanzania's western wilderness, the DRC's eastern natural wonders and Burundi's lakeshore experiences become far more viable. Tour operators packaging multi-country East and Southern African itineraries should keep an eye on this corridor, as it could unlock authentic new product lines built around lake cruises, cultural exchanges and adventure travel.
Looking ahead, the Mpulungu Port upgrade and the proposed TAZARA rail extension send a clear message about where African integration is heading. Governments across the continent are increasingly recognising that trade, tourism and transport are inseparable pillars of long-term prosperity. As the Lake Tanganyika basin steps into a new era of cooperation, the travel trade across sub-Saharan Africa should be ready to capitalise on the connectivity, commercial opportunities and emerging destinations that will inevitably follow.
