Dar es Salaam Port authorities say cargo destined for the Democratic Republic of the Congo can now be processed in about two days, down from around 10 days previously, as Congolese freight strengthens its position as the port's largest regional transit market.
DAR ES SALAAM - September 21, 2026 - Congolese importers using Tanzania's Port of Dar es Salaam could benefit from substantially faster port processing after officials said the facility now has the capacity to process DRC-bound freight in approximately two days instead of around 10 days or more.
The update emerged during a working visit to the port by DRC External Trade Minister Julien Paluku Kahongya, who travelled to Tanzania as Kinshasa and Dodoma work toward a new bilateral trade agreement.
According to Ouragan, Tanzanian port officials told the Congolese delegation that the processing period for Congolese transit freight had been reduced to about two days.
Paluku said the visit was intended to examine how Congolese merchandise is handled at the port and strengthen monitoring of cargo moving toward the DRC.
From around 10 days to two
The reported improvement is significant for Congolese traders because delays at a port can increase storage, handling and logistics costs before goods even begin their inland journey.
Reporting on the port visit says the port now has the capacity to process Congolese freight in approximately two days, compared with around 10 days previously.
The two-day figure refers specifically to processing at the Port of Dar es Salaam. It does not mean cargo can travel from the port to its final destination inside the DRC within two days.
Total delivery times still depend on customs procedures, inland transport, border crossings, road and rail conditions, the destination inside the DRC and other logistics factors.
TRANSPORT AND LOGISTICS
DRC Cargo Processing at Dar es Salaam Port Drops to Two Days
Sep 21, 2026
Sep 21, 2026
6 min read
Published
Updated:
Dar es Salaam Port authorities say cargo destined for the Democratic Republic of the Congo can now be processed in about two days, down from around 10 days previously, as Congolese freight strengthens its position as the port's largest regional transit market.
DAR ES SALAAM - September 21, 2026 - Congolese importers using Tanzania's Port of Dar es Salaam could benefit from substantially faster port processing after officials said the facility now has the capacity to process DRC-bound freight in approximately two days instead of around 10 days or more.
The update emerged during a working visit to the port by DRC External Trade Minister Julien Paluku Kahongya, who travelled to Tanzania as Kinshasa and Dodoma work toward a new bilateral trade agreement.
According to Ouragan, Tanzanian port officials told the Congolese delegation that the processing period for Congolese transit freight had been reduced to about two days.
Paluku said the visit was intended to examine how Congolese merchandise is handled at the port and strengthen monitoring of cargo moving toward the DRC.
From around 10 days to two
The reported improvement is significant for Congolese traders because delays at a port can increase storage, handling and logistics costs before goods even begin their inland journey.
Reporting on the port visit says the port now has the capacity to process Congolese freight in approximately two days, compared with around 10 days previously.
The two-day figure refers specifically to processing at the Port of Dar es Salaam. It does not mean cargo can travel from the port to its final destination inside the DRC within two days.
ADVERTISEMENT
Total delivery times still depend on customs procedures, inland transport, border crossings, road and rail conditions, the destination inside the DRC and other logistics factors.
DRC cargo reaches 7.77 million tonnes
The faster processing claim comes as the DRC's importance to Dar es Salaam Port continues to grow.
Official port data reported by The Citizen show that DRC-bound cargo increased by 30 percent to 7.77 million tonnes during Tanzania's 2025/26 financial year, up from 5.99 million tonnes the previous year.
That represented approximately 53 percent of all transit cargo handled by the port.
Total transit cargo through Dar es Salaam increased 17 percent to 14.61 million tonnes during the same financial year, according to the figures.
The DRC was therefore responsible for more than half of the port's regional transit freight, highlighting the scale of Congolese trade moving through Tanzania's logistics network.
The Congolese government's Agence Congolaise de Presse also reported the 7.77-million-tonne figure following Paluku's visit, describing Congolese freight as playing a central role in the port's transit business.
ADVERTISEMENT
Why Dar es Salaam is so Important to the DRC
Dar es Salaam is one of the principal maritime gateways used by Congolese businesses, particularly for trade serving eastern and southeastern parts of the country.
Goods arriving at the Tanzanian port can continue inland through the Central Corridor toward markets in the Great Lakes region and the DRC.
Reducing the amount of time cargo spends being processed at the port could lower some costs associated with delays and make the corridor more attractive to Congolese importers and exporters.
The actual savings for businesses, however, will depend on the entire logistics chain. Faster port processing cannot by itself eliminate delays elsewhere along the route.
DRC and Tanzania prepare new trade agreement
The port visit forms part of a wider effort by the DRC and Tanzania to strengthen bilateral commerce.
On September 19, the two governments agreed to begin technical work on a bilateral trade agreement to be completed within 90 days.
According to the DRC Ministry of External Trade, the two countries want the agreement to improve import, export and transit operations while reducing procedural costs, delays and other trade barriers.
A joint technical team has been established to prepare the draft agreement.
TRENDING NOW
POPULAR TODAY
ADVERTISEMENT
The discussions involve Congolese public agencies operating in Tanzania, including the Direction Generale des Douanes et Accises (DGDA), the Office de Gestion du Fret Multimodal (OGEFREM) and the Centre d'Expertise, d'Evaluation et de Certification (CEEC).
Better tracking of Congolese cargo
Paluku also called for stronger interconnection between Congolese customs services and authorities operating at Dar es Salaam Port.
According to Ouragan, the objective is to allow the DRC to track cargo declared for the Congolese market more consistently as it moves through the transit corridor.
That could become increasingly important as Congolese volumes grow.
With 7.77 million tonnes of DRC-bound cargo passing through Dar es Salaam in 2025/26, the corridor has become a major component of the commercial relationship between the two countries.
For Congolese businesses, the next question is whether the reported two-day port-processing capacity can be maintained consistently and translated into lower overall logistics costs.
For now, the latest figures point to two significant developments: the DRC accounts for roughly 53 percent of Dar es Salaam's transit cargo, and port authorities say its freight can now be processed in about two days rather than around 10.
ADVERTISEMENT
RELATED ARTICLE
