Bandari College Strengthens International Collaboration with APEC Antwerp Port Training Centre to Enhance Capacity Building

The **Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA)**, through **Bandari College Dar es Salaam (BCD)**, continues to strengthen strategic partnerships with international institutions as part of its commitment to enhancing the capacity of its workforce and ensuring the delivery of world-class port services in accordance with international standards.

As part of this strategic initiative, Bandari College Dar es Salaam hosted a delegation from the **APEC Training Centre**, an institution affiliated with the **Port of Antwerp-Bruges, Belgium**, and supported through cooperation frameworks involving the **European Union (EU)**. The visit focused on exploring opportunities for collaboration in capacity building, professional development, research, and knowledge exchange for port and maritime sector professionals.

The visiting delegation was received by the **Deputy Principal – Academic, Research and Consultancy, Eng. Dr. Ramadhani Kivugo**, on behalf of the Principal of Bandari College, **Dr. Lufunyo Hussein**. During the visit, the delegation held discussions with College management on potential areas of cooperation aimed at strengthening human capital development and enhancing the delivery of specialized training programmes.

During their visit, the delegation toured various facilities at Bandari College to gain a deeper understanding of the institution’s operations, including the delivery of long-term and short-term training programmes. The visitors had the opportunity to inspect key training facilities, including advanced **Equipment Training Simulators**, computer laboratories, and the College library, which support modern teaching, learning, and professional skills development.

The delegation was also presented with an overview of Bandari College’s current operations, strategic direction, and future development plans. The presentation highlighted TPA’s commitment to transforming Bandari College into a modern centre of excellence for maritime, port, logistics, and transport education, research, and consultancy services.

As part of this transformation agenda, TPA, through Bandari College Dar es Salaam, is planning significant investments in modern infrastructure development, including the construction of new state-of-the-art facilities and the acquisition of advanced training equipment. These investments will support enhanced teaching and learning, applied research, and professional consultancy services at both the College’s **Tandika Main Campus** and the **Kurasini Campus in Dar es Salaam**.

At the conclusion of the visit, both institutions expressed their commitment to establishing a framework for collaboration in key areas, including capacity building for College staff, development of industry-responsive training programmes, and promotion of knowledge transfer based on international best practices.

The partnership will also focus on conducting applied research aimed at addressing operational challenges within TPA and the wider maritime sector, as well as providing professional consultancy services to improve efficiency, effectiveness, and sustainability in port management and operations.

Through partnerships with internationally recognized institutions such as APEC Antwerp Port Training Centre, Bandari College continues to advance its vision of producing highly competent professionals who meet the needs of the maritime and logistics industry while contributing to Tanzania’s ambition of becoming a competitive regional transport and trade hub.