In the early morning light, Lake Victoria glows silver as fishing boats head back to shore. Just beyond the lake’s edge, at Mwanza International Airport (MWZ), cargo crews prepare pallets of Nile perch bound for Europe and the Middle East. For decades, this has been Mwanza’s defining link to the global economy, a specialist export hub feeding a lucrative, if narrow, trade lane.
Now, change is in the air. The Tanzanian government has set in motion a multi-year upgrade program to transform MWZ from a single-sector specialist into a broader regional player, serving passengers, cargo, and tourism alike. With new terminal facilities, expanded runway capacity, and enhanced cold-chain infrastructure, Mwanza is positioning itself not just as the fishing capital’s airport, but as a true gateway to the Lake Zone and the Great Lakes region.
The opportunity is significant: to use aviation as a lever for diversifying the region’s exports, improving domestic and regional connectivity, and making Mwanza a staging point for both trade and travel across East and Central Africa. The challenge will be in converting infrastructure into sustainable demand, and in doing so without losing the efficiency that made MWZ a cargo success story in the first place.
Where Mwanza International Airport Stands Today
Located about 10 kilometres from the city centre, MWZ sits directly on the southern shore of Lake Victoria. Its 3,300-metre asphalt runway is long enough to handle large freighters and mainline passenger jets, though much of its historic utilisation has been on the cargo side. The existing passenger terminal is functional but modest, designed for domestic flows and a handful of regional connections.
Passenger traffic before the pandemic hovered around 400,000 annually, with steady domestic demand linking Mwanza to Dar es Salaam, Kilimanjaro, and Zanzibar. International passenger services have been limited, with most long-haul connections made via Dar, Nairobi, or Entebbe.
Cargo is where MWZ has made its mark. The airport’s cold storage facilities handle thousands of tonnes of Nile perch each year, much of it trucked to Nairobi or Entebbe for onward export, but increasingly shipped directly via dedicated charters. Airlines such as Air Tanzania, Precision Air, and Auric Air provide scheduled passenger services, while a mix of cargo operators and ad-hoc charters maintain the fish export pipeline.
The Lake Zone’s Economic Context
The Lake Zone is one of Tanzania’s most economically diverse regions, and Mwanza is its beating heart. The fishing industry, anchored on Nile perch, remains the region’s top export earner, with established markets in the EU and Middle East. The industry has built an entire support ecosystem around MWZ’s cargo operations, from ice plants to freight forwarding services.
Beyond fishing, the region is rich in agriculture, producing horticulture, cotton, and grain, and mining, with gold and industrial minerals from Geita and Shinyanga feeding both domestic consumption and export markets. These sectors have yet to fully leverage air freight, representing an untapped opportunity as cargo capacity grows.
Tourism is another underdeveloped but high-potential market. The western corridor of the Serengeti, Rubondo Island National Park, and cultural attractions around Ukerewe Island are all within reach of MWZ. Improved connectivity could make these destinations more accessible to both domestic and international visitors, diversifying the Lake Zone’s economy and increasing its resilience to fluctuations in fish prices or mining demand.
Infrastructure Upgrades at Mwanza Airport
The Tanzania Airports Authority (TAA) has prioritised Mwanza in its regional modernisation program, recognising the airport’s dual role as a cargo lifeline and a potential passenger hub. The centrepiece is a new passenger terminaldesigned to handle over one million passengers annually, more than double the current capacity. This facility will feature expanded check-in counters, multiple security lanes, upgraded baggage handling systems, and passenger amenities, including lounges, retail outlets, and enhanced food and beverage offerings.
Airside, the 3,300-metre runway is undergoing rehabilitation to improve surface integrity and allow for heavier aircraft operations, including widebody freighters. Apron expansion will add parking capacity for both passenger aircraft and cargo freighters, reducing congestion during peak export hours.
On the cargo side, the upgrades focus on cold-chain enhancements, additional refrigerated storage, modern loading docks, and pre-cooling zones for perishable exports. The plan also includes new warehousing space for non-perishable freight, which could support diversification into horticulture, mining products, and general goods.
The phased works are scheduled to complete by 2026, with construction staged to minimise disruption to ongoing cargo operations. If delivered on time, the combination of expanded passenger facilities and improved cargo handling will make MWZ one of the most capable secondary airports in East Africa.
Passenger Growth Potential
Mwanza’s domestic network is already well-established, with multiple daily flights to Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar, Kilimanjaro, and Dodoma. These routes serve a mix of business travellers, tourists, and VFR (visiting friends and relatives) traffic. The challenge, and opportunity, lies in building a regional network.
Potential direct services to Kampala, Kigali, Nairobi, and Entebbe could open new trade and tourism corridors. For instance, a Mwanza–Kampala link would directly connect two of Lake Victoria’s largest cities, facilitating business and tourism flows without the need to route through coastal hubs.
From a tourism perspective, improved air access could position MWZ as a gateway to the Serengeti’s western corridor, where wildlife viewing is at its best during the migration months of May–July. Packages combining Lake Victoria’s island retreats with safaris could appeal to both domestic and international tourists.
However, passenger growth will depend on more than new routes, competitive fares, reliable schedules, and seamless connections (possibly through interline agreements with larger carriers) will be essential to building load factors and retaining airline interest.
Cargo and Trade Opportunities
While Nile perch exports will remain the backbone of MWZ’s cargo business, the upgraded facilities open the door to a more diversified portfolio. The enhanced cold-chain capacity could support the export of horticultural products, flowers, fresh vegetables, and fruits, to Middle Eastern and European markets.
The mining sector presents another avenue. High-value, small-volume shipments such as gold dore bars and gemstones can benefit from secure, rapid air transport, especially if MWZ offers bonded storage and enhanced security protocols.
Mwanza’s location on Lake Victoria also positions it as a potential cargo consolidation hub. Goods from Uganda, Kenya, and island districts could be ferried to Mwanza for export by air, leveraging the airport’s expanded apron and warehouse capacity. This intermodal model, combining lake and air transport, could make MWZ an efficient alternative to routing cargo entirely by road to Nairobi or Entebbe.
If paired with competitive handling charges and predictable clearance processes, these improvements could reposition Mwanza as more than a niche exporter, transforming it into a regional logistics node.
Competitive Positioning
In the Lake Victoria basin, Mwanza faces competition from Entebbe International Airport in Uganda and Kenya’s Kisumu and Eldoret airports. Entebbe benefits from established perishables corridors and dedicated freighter links to Europe, while Kisumu and Eldoret are integrated into Kenya’s horticulture export network.
Mwanza’s competitive advantage lies in its central location on the lake’s southern shore, within Tanzania’s jurisdiction, and now backed by substantial investment in both passenger and cargo facilities. With improved infrastructure, MWZ could offer faster clearance times, lower congestion, and direct integration with Tanzania’s road and lake transport systems, all while tapping into the country’s growing reputation for stable governance and pro-trade policies.
The key will be in branding and route development, positioning Mwanza as the preferred hub for Lake Zone cargo consolidation and as an efficient alternative for regional passengers who currently transit through Nairobi or Entebbe.
Governance and Operations
The Tanzania Airports Authority (TAA) manages Mwanza International Airport, overseeing both infrastructure upgrades and operational standards. For MWZ to realise its full potential, governance will need to extend beyond maintenance to proactive business development, engaging airlines, cargo operators, and tourism boards to design route and product offerings that leverage the upgraded facilities.
Public–Private Partnerships (PPPs) could play a role in specialised areas like cold storage management, bonded warehousing, or ground handling. Such arrangements could bring in expertise, technology, and working capital while keeping overall strategic control with the TAA.
Stakeholder collaboration, including exporters, freight forwarders, tour operators, and local governments, will be critical to aligning the airport’s growth with regional economic priorities.
Risks and Constraints
While the upgrade programme is promising, there are risks:
- Market Dependence, A heavy reliance on fish exports makes cargo revenue vulnerable to EU regulatory changes, overfishing, and price fluctuations.
- Execution Risk, Delays in terminal or runway completion could reduce airline confidence, especially in securing new regional routes.
- Route Development Challenges, Without concrete cargo or passenger demand guarantees, regional carriers may hesitate to commit to Mwanza.
- Modal Competition, Improved road and lake shipping services could capture trade flows before MWZ’s air cargo market matures.
Mitigating these risks will require diversification of cargo types, careful phasing of works, and active promotion to carriers and logistics providers.
A Gateway for the Lake Zone
Mwanza International Airport’s transformation from a specialised fish export hub to a multi-purpose aviation gateway is a strategic play for Tanzania’s Lake Zone. The combination of new terminal facilities, expanded runway capacity, and upgraded cargo handling could position MWZ as a central node in East Africa’s trade and tourism networks.
But infrastructure is only half the equation. Realising this vision will depend on building strong route partnerships, diversifying cargo streams, and integrating the airport into regional multimodal logistics chains. If executed well, Mwanza could emerge as a balanced hub, one that moves people, goods, and ideas, giving the Lake Zone a stronger voice in Tanzania’s national and continental aviation story.
decades, this scene has been Mwanza’s signature contribution to the global economy, a tightly honed export chain linking Lake Victoria’s fisheries to supermarket counters in Europe and the Middle East.
But now, something new is taking shape behind the scenes. Steel frames rise for expanded warehouses, upgraded cold rooms, and extended aprons. Government funding and development partners have underwritten a cargo upgrade programme that could redefine MWZ’s role. The airport’s ambition is no longer just to move fish efficiently, it’s to diversify into horticulture, mining products, high-value electronics, and even regional import distribution.
The question is whether Mwanza can translate this infrastructure investment into a truly multisectoral air cargo hub, one that serves the Lake Zone’s economy and positions Tanzania more firmly in Great Lakes regional trade.
Mwanza’s Cargo Legacy
Mwanza’s air cargo identity has been forged by fish. The city’s processing plants and freight forwarders have perfected the just-in-time model needed to move tonnes of chilled Nile perch each week to meet stringent European Union freshness standards. From the quays of Mwanza South port, fish arrive at MWZ’s gates for rapid transfer into cold rooms, 12 temperature-controlled units totalling around 1,500 cubic metres, before being loaded onto cargo charters or passenger aircraft holds.
This cold-chain capacity has given Mwanza a competitive edge in one sector, but it has also limited the airport’s broader utilisation. Cargo volumes are heavily tied to fish market cycles, EU regulatory decisions, and environmental factors affecting Lake Victoria’s catch. As a result, revenue streams rise and fall with the fishing season, a vulnerability the new expansion aims to address.
The skills, equipment, and operational discipline honed through decades of fish exports are an asset. The same handling standards that satisfy EU food safety inspections could easily be applied to floriculture shipments, fresh produce, or temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals. The challenge lies in attracting and sustaining those new cargo streams.
The Cargo Upgrade Blueprint
The Mwanza expansion is part of a wider Tanzania Airports Authority (TAA) modernisation drive for secondary airports. At MWZ, the plan includes:
- Apron and taxiway works to accommodate simultaneous passenger and freighter operations without bottlenecks.
- Rehabilitation of runway surfaces to handle heavier payloads, enabling widebody freighter operations direct to regional and long-haul destinations.
- Expansion of cold-chain facilities, adding pre-cooling zones, segregated storage for multiple commodities, and faster dock-to-air transfers.
- New dry warehousing to attract high-value, non-perishable cargo like mining exports, electronics, and machinery.
Funding commitments, including a TZS 29 billion tranche signed in 2024, have set timelines in motion, with core cargo works expected to run in parallel with the new passenger terminal. The TAA’s aim is to bring the airport up to full international handling standards by 2026, ready to market MWZ as a competitive alternative to Entebbe or Kisumu for Lake Victoria basin air freight.
Diversification Opportunities
Mwanza’s cargo future will be defined by how well it can broaden its portfolio beyond fish. The upgraded cold-chain and warehousing capacity create immediate entry points for new commodities:
- Horticulture & Floriculture, With expanded refrigerated storage and pre-cooling zones, MWZ could handle cut flowers, fresh vegetables, and fruits for the Gulf and European markets. These products are already moving out of Arusha and Nairobi; Mwanza could capture supply from Lake Zone growers currently trucking long distances.
- Mining Exports, Gold doré bars and gemstones from Geita and Shinyanga can be flown directly to refining and trading hubs if the airport offers secure bonded storage and discreet high-value handling protocols.
- High-Value, Low-Volume Goods, Pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, and electronics could move faster via MWZ than through coastal ports, particularly for time-critical deliveries into Great Lakes markets.
- Balanced Import Flows, Inbound shipments of agricultural inputs, machinery, and consumer goods could fill returning aircraft, improving load factors and making dedicated freighter routes more viable.
By diversifying into these sectors, Mwanza reduces its exposure to fish market fluctuations while tapping into growing demand for perishable and time-sensitive logistics in East and Central Africa.
Intermodal & Regional Integration
Mwanza’s geography gives it a unique intermodal advantage. The city is a major node on Lake Victoria’s maritime network, with Ro-Ro ferry services linking it to Port Bell (Uganda) and Kisumu (Kenya). The recently introduced MV Mpungu and other vessels can move up to 1,000 tonnes per crossing, providing a steady inflow of goods for air consolidation.
These lake links open up a hub-and-spoke model where cargo from Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania’s island districts arrives by ship, is consolidated and cleared in Mwanza, and then uplifted by air to regional and long-haul destinations.
Road corridors add another layer: Mwanza is connected to Rwanda, Burundi, and eastern DRC via the central and western road networks. For exporters in those countries, MWZ could offer shorter lead times than routing through congested coastal ports.
If customs processes at MWZ are streamlined and digitised, this multimodal setup could transform the airport into a Great Lakes trade funnel, a place where lake, road, and air intersect to serve markets far beyond the Lake Zone.
Competitive Pressures
Turning these advantages into market share will require outperforming strong rivals.
Entebbe International Airport remains the region’s dominant perishable hub, with deep experience in floriculture exports and established freighter connections to Europe. Its scale and reputation make it the default choice for many freight forwarders.
Kisumu and Eldoret Airports are integrated into Kenya’s horticulture and fish export chains, benefiting from the country’s entrenched logistics ecosystem and national airline capacity.
Mwanza’s counter-offer rests on three pillars:
- Central Lake Victoria location that minimises lake transit times from multiple countries.
- Fresh infrastructure capacity tailored to perishable and high-value handling.
- Tanzanian regulatory stability and potential for competitive handling tariffs compared to Kenyan and Ugandan gateways.
Success will depend on convincing shippers and carriers that MWZ can match or beat competitors on turnaround speed, reliability, and cost, while offering a simpler path to emerging markets in the Great Lakes region.
Governance & Partnerships
The Tanzania Airports Authority (TAA) is the primary steward of MWZ’s upgrade programme, but the scale of the cargo ambition means it can’t operate in isolation.
Public–Private Partnerships (PPPs) could accelerate the commercialisation of new facilities, for example, outsourcing cold-chain management to a specialist logistics operator, or partnering with a global ground handler to attract dedicated freighter traffic.
Local engagement is equally important. Export councils, chambers of commerce, and fishing and horticulture associations can help shape commodity-specific handling solutions. Involving freight forwarders early ensures that facilities match operational needs rather than just design aspirations.
Airline partnerships will also be critical. Securing an anchor freighter operator, whether from the Gulf, Europe, or Africa, could help stabilise volumes and create a platform for growing ancillary cargo streams. Without such commitments, even the best infrastructure risks underutilisation.
Risks & Bottlenecks
- Commodity Concentration, If diversification lags, fish will remain the dominant cargo, leaving MWZ exposed to EU regulatory changes, environmental pressures on Lake Victoria, and price volatility.
- Infrastructure Delivery Delays, Late completion of aprons, warehouses, or runway rehab could deter airlines from committing to new routes.
- Process Inefficiencies, Without modernised customs and clearance systems, MWZ will struggle to match the speed of Entebbe or Nairobi.
- Market Entrenchment, Rival airports with established forwarder relationships may defend their share aggressively, making it hard for Mwanza to win over key exporters.
Addressing these risks requires parallel investment in software (process, partnerships, promotion) alongside the hardware of physical infrastructure.
Success Indicators by 2030
By the end of the decade, MWZ’s cargo transformation could be measured by:
- Tonnage Growth, Sustained double-digit annual increases in total cargo handled.
- Diversification, Non-fish commodities making up at least 40% of volumes.
- Network Expansion, Regular scheduled freighter calls from multiple regions, not just ad-hoc charters.
- Transit Efficiency, Average dwell time for perishables reduced to under 24 hours from arrival to uplift.
- Intermodal Reach, A documented share of cargo arriving from outside Tanzania via lake or road corridors.
These metrics would signal that MWZ has moved from a niche exporter to a central logistics player in the Great Lakes economy.
The Lake Zone’s New Cargo Hub
Mwanza International Airport’s air cargo upgrades mark a turning point for the Lake Zone. By expanding its cold-chain, diversifying into new commodities, and integrating with lake and road networks, MWZ has a realistic path to becoming a regional trade hub rather than a single-commodity gateway.
The opportunity is clear: reduce dependency on fish, tap into growing horticulture, mining, and high-value import flows, and connect inland producers to global markets faster than any other Lake Victoria basin airport.
Whether MWZ realises this vision will depend on more than infrastructure. It will require sustained airline and forwarder engagement, nimble governance, and a commitment to process efficiency that matches, or exceeds, its better-known rivals.
If Mwanza can pull that off, it won’t just be the city’s fishing boats that define its global connection, it will be a modern, multi-sector cargo hub with reach across the Great Lakes and beyond.
