Tanzania: Reducing Roadblocks Most Welcome Move

The Citizen (Dar es Salaam)

13 June 2011

editorial

For some years now, the sight of roadblocks has been common at several points on our highways. These are ostensibly mounted to check overloading and transporting of contraband goods.

But, have all of them lived up to the purpose for which they were put up? The answer is Yes and No. Stories abound of lorries that are found with contrabands hidden in containers that would, however, bear stickers indicating that everything was in order.

And there are those that are overloaded, so when nabbed at the roadblocks, they would be forced to download, besides getting fined or even having the goods confiscated.

But on the flip side is the disadvantage the roadblocks have been to businesses in neighbouring countries and Tanzania as well.

Some of these have turned into points where those manning them make easy money by extracting bribes from the vehicle crews. It only needs the driver of a lorry carrying contraband or one who is guilty of overloading to grease the palms of the officers and they would look the other way!

Worse still, the lorries and tankers waste a lot of time at these points, and thus take longer to reach their final destinations. This, of course, is bad for business, considering that some of the vehicles carry transit goods to neighbouring landlocked countries like Zambia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda.

No wonder, some clearing and forwarding firms have abandoned or are thinking of abandoning the Dar es Salaam port in favour of Mombasa, Kenya.

We take solace in the fact that the police force has, in collaboration with the Investment Climate Facility for Africa (IFC), initiated a pilot project to reduce the number of roadblocks between Dar es Salaam and Rusumo, Ngara in Kagera Region.

The move will go a long way towards reducing the time trucks take to reach their final destinations within the country and beyond.

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