Tanzania drafts regulations for planned cable transport

Dar es Salaam. The government has drafted regulations to govern operations of the planned cable transport which seeks to boost tourism in Tanzania and facilitate commuting in some areas.

Cable transport involves transporting people in motor-less, engine-less vehicles that are propelled by a steel cable, commonly known as ropeway.

The Land Transport Regulatory Authority (Latra) is studying the possibility of introducing the cable transport in at least six regions but before doing that, it needs to put regulatory mechanisms in place.

The regulatory authority said the regulations are now ready, but the agency is looking for an international consultant to analyse and provide technical advice before releasing the rules.

Latra Director General, Mr Habibu Suluo told The Citizen that the agency is currently preparing terms of reference to get the aforementioned consultant.

“Cable transport regulations are ready but because this industry is completely new in Tanzania, our board of directors advised to have the eyes of international experts who will revisit the regulations before they fully come into implementation,” he said.

According to him, Latra is also encouraging development partners to join hands-on technical support to make sure it starts successfully.

“We are also engaging various partners such as the World Bank so that we can get the consultant as soon as possible,” added Mr Suluo.

He noted that Latra experts visited Korea to learn the model and structure of operating the cable transport and that the tour helped Latra to come up with the draft regulations.

He said lessons from Korea were not enough, as a result, the transport regulator wants to hire a consultant who can review the proposed regulations in comparison with the global best practice.

“The appetite of investors to invest in cable transport is huge,” Mr Suluo said, adding that Egypt’s minister of transport will be visiting Tanzania soon and one of the areas of interest is cable transport.

Algeria, China, France are some of the few countries looking to extend the cooperation in cable transport. A manufacturer of cable cars from France is said to be willing to partner with any investor who wants to invest in cable transport.

The issue of cable transport is also complex because it involves essential stakeholders such as the National Environment Management Council (Nemc), Tanzania Investment Center (TIC), Tanzania Forest Services Agency (TFS) and the Ministry of State in the President’s Office, responsible for Regional Administration and Local Governments.

Some potential regions for cable transport include Mbeya, Iringa, Tanga, Morogoro, Arusha, and Kilimanjaro.