Key African copper trade route reopens between Zambia and Tanzania

Tanzania has reopened its border with Zambia, restoring cargo flows along a key trade corridor for Africa’s two biggest copper exporters after post-election unrest brought consignments to a standstill last week.

The situation normalized on Monday, Oliver Nzala, corporate communications manager at the Zambia Revenue Authority, said by phone Wednesday. The border authorities are working on reducing the backlog, clearing on average 250 trucks daily in each direction, he added.

Tanzania’s main port of Dar es Salaam — a crucial hub for copper and cobalt shipments from mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia to China — also serves as a key fuel-import terminal for the region.

Unrest has eased since President Samia Suluhu Hassan was sworn in on Monday following a disputed election that was marred by violence.

Neighboring Malawi, a uranium exporter, blamed renewed fuel shortages on the unrest in Tanzania that disrupted regional trade. The landlocked nation has battled intermittent fuel shortages for months due to foreign-exchange crunch and a government struggling to pay its bills.

(By Matthew Hill)