Andre Klynsmith

Ports and Terminals

From 200,000 to 800,000 Tonnes: Zambia's Mpulungu Port Upgrade Opens a New Gateway to the Great Lakes

Zambia is pressing ahead with a major upgrade of Mpulungu Port on Lake Tanganyika that will quadruple its annual cargo handling capacity from 200,000 tonnes to approximately 800,000 tonnes, the Ministry of Transport and Logistics has announced. The project includes a new rail link from Nseluka to Mpulungu that will connect the country's only international port directly to the TAZARA railway network.

Ports and Terminals

4 July 2026 • 3 min read

Landlocked Zambia's only international port is about to become four times bigger. For operators moving cargo between SADC and the Great Lakes region, the Mpulungu upgrade -- and its planned rail connection to TAZARA -- creates a multimodal corridor that has never existed at this scale before.

What Is Being Built

The project has two legs. The first is the upgrade of Mpulungu Port itself, lifting annual cargo handling capacity from around 200,000 tonnes to approximately 800,000 tonnes while also expanding passenger handling facilities. The second is a new railway connection from Nseluka -- on the existing TAZARA alignment in Zambia's Northern Province -- down to the lakeshore at Mpulungu.

That rail link is the strategic piece. It would connect Zambia's national rail network and the TAZARA line directly to shipping services on Lake Tanganyika for the first time, allowing cargo to move between rail wagons and lake vessels without long road hauls in between.

Why a Lake Port Matters to SADC Freight

Mpulungu sits at the southern tip of Lake Tanganyika and provides Zambia's trade window to Burundi, the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and Tanzania. For cargo moving between the SADC region and the Great Lakes markets, the lake route can bypass some of the region's most congested road corridors and border posts -- a meaningful advantage when crossings such as Kasumbalesa are averaging delays of several days.

The eastern DRC and Burundi are import-hungry markets for fuel, cement, foodstuffs and consumer goods, while agricultural produce and minerals flow south. Today, much of that trade squeezes through informal or capacity-constrained routes. A modernised Mpulungu, fed by rail, gives shippers a structured alternative with far greater volume headroom.

Part of a Bigger Northern Corridor Play

The announcement lands as the TAZARA network itself undergoes a US$1.4 billion rehabilitation under a 30-year concession. If both projects deliver, Zambia gains a rail spine from the Copperbelt to Dar es Salaam with a new branch reaching Lake Tanganyika -- effectively three trade gateways (ocean, lake and road) served by one rail system.

The ministry has framed the project as part of a broader effort to modernise Zambia's transport infrastructure and deepen regional economic integration. Timelines and funding details are still to be confirmed, and execution risk on greenfield rail in the region remains real -- but the direction of travel is clear.

About the Author
	Andre Klynsmith Entrepreneur & Technology Enthusiast Andre's expertise spans technology, blockchain, transport, and logistics -- with a passion for innovation and driving positive change across industries. info@laaimylorrie.com | laaimylorrie.com