Zambia seeks to reclaim shipping yards in Kenya, Tanzania

The Zambian government has started talks with of Kenya and Tanzania to help repossess its shipping yards in the two countries, local media reported on Tuesday, citing a government official.

Zambia used to operate two shopping yards in the two countries but the shipping yards were taken away.

Minister of Transport, Works, Supply and Communication Yamfwa Mukanga said the government was doing everything possible to ensure that the shipping yards in both countries were given back to Zambia, Zambia Daily Mail reported.

"As Zambia, we used to have a shipping yard at Mtwara port in Tanzania and another at Mombasa port in Kenya years back. We are in discussion with the two governments to have these two properties back," he was quoted as saying by the paper.

The two shipyards, he said, were lost by the government during the time of liberalization and subsequent privatization of state enterprises Zambia undertook in the 1990s, adding that some properties could not be accounted for, while others could not be traced.

"We are coming from an economy where everything was nationalized and during privatization, some property could not be traced. But now we know where some assets are, like the shipping yard at Mtwara port and we have since engaged the Tanzanian government," he added.

He said a lot of resources were invested by the government in the two shipping yards and that it was important that Zambia recovers its assets abroad.

The Zambian minister, who was recently appointed as chairperson of an inter-governmental standing committee on shipping comprising Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda, said that the committee was tackling the challenge of shipping yards. Endite