Project context and challenge
Malindi Port in Stone Town is Zanzibar’s gateway for ferries, handling more than 3 million passengers and 25,000 vehicles a year. The port is congested, boarding takes up to 90 minutes, and it cannot grow because it is hemmed in by the historic town. ZFDevco, in partnership with the Zanzibar Ports Corporation, is therefore developing a new ferry terminal at Mpigaduri-Maruhubi, designed to handle over 10,000 passengers and 2,000 vehicles a day by 2030.
An environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA) by Kimsons Limited had already been approved by the Zanzibar Environmental Management Authority. To attract international co-financing, however, the project also had to meet the IFC Performance Standards. The site is sensitive: it lies next to mangroves, seagrass beds and the historic Maruhubi Palace Ruins, and local people use the beach for fishing, boat repair, food vending and drying seaweed.
Construction of the first phase, including dredging and two Ro-Ro ramps, started in late 2024, so the assessment also had to keep pace with work already taking place on site.
CDR’s approach and contribution
CDR first carried out a gap analysis of the existing ESIA against the IFC Performance Standards. The key gaps concerned resettlement and compensation, livelihood restoration for people using the site, and the possible effects of the terminal on the coastline. Further improvements were needed on socio-economic data, sourcing of construction materials, disposal of dredged material, mangroves and seagrass, and the institutional setting. For each gap, CDR gave clear recommendations.
Together with Kimsons, CDR then updated the ESIA. A due diligence and socio-economic survey identified more than 200 informal users of the site, and a Livelihood Restoration Plan was prepared for those eligible for support. Traffic counts formed the basis of a traffic impact assessment, and hydrodynamic modelling was used to assess changes in currents and the coastline, including effects on the neighbouring mangroves.
The update was completed with a climate change assessment, a heritage impact assessment for the Maruhubi Palace Ruins, a gender assessment and action plan, a stakeholder engagement plan with a grievance mechanism, and testing of the sediments and soils to be used as fill. Separate baselines were prepared for each construction phase, as the first phase was already under way.
Result
ZFDevco now has an ESIA that meets the IFC Performance Standards, an essential step towards international co-financing. The modelling showed that the terminal will hardly change local currents, so limited erosion or sedimentation and limited impacts on the mangroves are expected.
Livelihood support was defined for 128 eligible users of the site, and clear measures protect the heritage site, the mangroves and the seagrass throughout construction and operation.
The updated ESIA also serves as a practical guide for the developer and contractor during the next phases, which include land reclamation, the passenger terminal, a hotel and a marina.
