<p>THE Director General of the Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA), Mr Eric Hamissi has said that, the authority will ensure value for money and timely completion in ongoing port expansion projects.</p> <p>The DG made the remark on Monday when members of the Parliamentary Budget Committee toured the ongoing expansion projects at the Dar es Salaam Port.</p> <p>"The government has already provided funds for ships' dredging the entrance channel to 15.5 metres deep from the current depth of 9 meters," he said.</p> <p>He said that, apart from TPA assuring that the projects will be carried out to assure value for money, the authority will also assure that they are completed within the agreed timeframe without any unnecessary delays since the port is the main driver of the economies not only for Tanzania but also for some neighboring land locked countries. These ports are very busy as many customers have been attracted by the expansion projects and improved customer services.TPA is doing everything possible to meet the government's intention of continued increasing efficiency in cargo handling to attract more customers," he said.</p> <p>For his part, the Parliamentary Budget Standing Committee Chairman Mr Daniel Sillo, expressed satisfaction with the port performance, noting that, the commitment showered by the port, to ensure the projects are completed on time was an indication that the country's economy was progressing well.</p> <p>He said that the expansion has guaranteed that more local and foreign customers will turn to the country's ports for import and exporting their goods thus earning the country more income.</p> <p>"I was impressed, for example, to learn that over six thousand cars can be offloaded within a day.</p> <p>This is a positive gesture as cargo can be handled within minimal time than previous time," he said.</p>