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The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has described the decision of Tanzania to open a Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) link office in Lubumbashi town, Katanga Province as a patriotic and progressive one.

Speaking to journalists after the inauguration of the office recently, Transport minister for Katanga Province, Kahozi Sumba said the decision will not only simplify things for DRC traders but also improve lives of the people of DRC.

"This office means a lot for the citizens of DRC, we thank the government of Tanzania for this noble decision," he said after the inauguration done by Tanzania Transport minister, Dr Harrison Mwakyembe.

Sumba said the DRC government is optimistic that problems encountered by the business community while using the Dar es Salaam port will be considerably reduced and ultimately finished.

He called upon DRC traders to prove that they needed the office by utilizing it to address challenges facing them, "prove that you really need this office, take this opportunity to your advantage," he told members of the business community who attended the function.

Speaking on behalf of the Governor of Katanga Province, Moise Katumbi Vice Governor of the Province, Yav Guilbert hailed Dr Mwakyembe, calling him 'a man of actions'.

In his earlier visit to Lubumbashi March, this year Dr Mwakyembe promised a TPA liaison office by the end of April.

"Mwakyembe is not the kind of politicians who give empty promises…he has proved that Tanzania can bring together Africa and achieve development," Guilbert said.

Earlier, Mwakyembe said the new TPA office will help Congolese business community solve their quarries and problems in Lubumbashi instead of travelling all the way to Dar es Salaam.

"They will be able to make payments for port charges in Lubumbashi and avoid the risk of carrying large sums of money all the way to Dar es Salaam," the minister said.

He explained that the problem of being cheated by untrustworthy agents will now be history as the list of all registered clearing and forwarding agents will be made available in Lubumbashi.

He said cargo monitoring will also be done from Lubumbashi hence help speed up clearance as traders will have updated information on the status of their cargoes.

Mwakyembe travelled by road all the way from Dar es Salaam to Lubumbashi in order to experience the challenges facing the Congolese traders as they move their cargo from Dar es Salaam port.

The office in Lubumbashi seeks to solve several issues the Congolese business community has been complaining about including port delays, theft, non-tariff barriers along the corridor and unscrupulous clearing and forwarding agents.

"More efforts are underway to remove all obstacles and red tapes the DRC business community encounters," said Mwakyembe.

DRC is the second largest transit user of the Dar es Salaam port accounting for 25 percent of the total transit traffic.

DRC traffic has been increasing at an average of 24 percent per annum since 2004 from 155,611 tonnes up to 1,117,249 tonnes in 2013.