Mangapwani Port Zanzibar
Investment Gas companies have expressed concerns to the Zanzibar Port Authority for over excessive bureaucracy in matters related to the Mangapwani Investment Port area.
In November 2021 the Zanzibar government expressed determination to succeed in a grand development project at Mangwani Investment Port.
Under this all-inclusive Mangapwani project, Zanzibar was to build a large modern port with several containerized and general cargo terminals, including fuel, fishing vessels, oil, and natural gas.
One year on and…
One year on and information from various sources within the Government, investors and other stakeholders in the use of gas, say that the Port Authority seems to be deliberately delaying the block delivery process.
An official from the Puma Company said that it has been more than a year now since they submitted an application to be given an area to store gas and oil in the Mangapwani area, but every time they follow up the Port Corporation is the one that seems not ready.
“We have requested the Mangapwani area to set up our station, along with completing all the procedures, but until now nothing is going on” said one Puma Company Officer.
Other executives of gas and oil companies, said they were surprised by the executives of the Port Corporation.
More information from the Zanzibar Water and Energy Regulatory Authority (ZURA) says that for their part they have completed all that is necessary as far as it concerns them. All that remains to be done is for the Port Authority to give permission to companies that have requested to invest the gas and energy sector.
” We don’t understand why there has been bureaucracy in this matter, everything they told us we have sent to them” said a Senior Officer at the ORXY Gas Company.
Initially, the issue of investment in the Mangapwani region of North Unguja was being coordinated by ZURA, but it was subsequently transferred to the Port Corporation which may lack the knowledge and expertise in energy and gas matters.
According to the Government’s plan, the area of Mangapwani has been set aside for the construction of a large port which was hoped to include a container and mixed cargo area, a section to serve fishing vessels, an oil & gas port, a ship maintenance port and Modern City.
Efforts to find the Director of the Zanzibar Port Authority, Nahaat Mahfoudh, for a response, was not be successful.
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