China’s President Xi Jinping  with his Tanzanian counterpart Jakaya Kikwete

Construction of the USD 11 billion Bagamoyo megaport has been pushed forward by the government of Tanzania from January 2015 to the last trimester of 2014, following the successful negotiations with Chinese officials, Global Construction Review reports.

China Merchants Holdings International, the world largest independent port operators, are to develop the Bagamoyo port, starting with the quay, the container yards, the cargo terminals and all dredging work, which is expected to be completed by 2017.

The port’s facilities are then to be further developed over a period of 30 years, with the ultimate goal of 20 million container per year capacity. The plan is to turn the Bagamoyo port into the largest port on the east coast of Africa, allowing it to accommodate ships with a 10,000 TEU capacity. The zone is expected to be fully developed by 2024.

Apart from establishing firm arrangements on the Bagamoyo port project, Chinese officials have taken advantage of their visit to Tanzania to officially start works on a Chinese-financed, 150-acre logistics hub next to the busy port of Dar es Salaam.

Abdallah Kigoda, the Tanzanian minister for industry and trade, said that the Chinese side would provide USD 412.5 million for the project, located in the Kurasini area of Dar es Salaam.

According to the Yiwu-Africa International Investment Corporation, the Chinese partner in the project with the Tanzanian Export Processing Zones Authority, the new hub will have five zones: a commodity exhibition area, a warehouse, a technical training center, a support services area and an import-export processing zone.