Dar es Salaam
Commercial capital and port handling 95% of trade, DP World partnership cutting turnaround 85%
Dar es Salaam handles 95% of Tanzania's international trade through a port transformed by DP World's 2024 partnership—cutting ship turnaround from seven days to three and increasing container capacity from 12,000 to 27,000 TEUs monthly. The $250 million initial investment (scaling to $1 billion) created 30,000 direct jobs and 150,000 indirect positions. The EU's €15 million December 2024 project links the port to Standard Gauge Railway and revitalized Tazara line, serving landlocked Zambia, Rwanda, and DRC. Tanzania's commercial capital generates Tsh 1 trillion monthly in tax revenue—demonstrating how infrastructure chokepoints concentrate economic power.