Tanzania’s transport sector grew at a rate of 12.2% in Q3 2016 reaching TZS865b at constant prices, compared to TZS771b in Q3 2015 and a growth rate of 6.7%.
The results were included in a report recently issued by the Tanzanian National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), covering the country’s GDP performances for Q3 2016.
NBS attributes the growth to a rise in the number of passengers and cargo transported by road and rail, as well as increased transportation of natural gas via pipelines.
The report indicates that natural gas transported via pipelines in Tanzania rose by 32.4%, from 8,353m standard cubic feet (MMSCF) in Q3 2015 to 11,060 MMSCF in Q3 2016.
This follows the inauguration of the 532km long Mtwara-Dar es Salaam natural gas pipeline in October 2015, which has a capacity to transport up to 210m cubic feet per day (MMCFD).
Furthermore, the number of rail passengers in Tanzania increased by more than 400%, from 230,000 in Q3 2015 to 1.2m in Q3 2016.
Tanzania’s rail freight rose by 31%, from 75,000t in Q3 2015 to 98,000t in Q3 2016.
The government of Tanzania is currently expanding the country’s rail network with the construction of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) along the central corridor, set to start during the 2016–2017 fiscal year.