Has this road come up in any of AVZ minerals logistical planning?
Short answer:
indirectly, yes—AVZ’s logistics planning has long included an “eastern route” that takes product
from Manono by road to Kabondo-Dianda (railhead), then by SNCC rail to Kalemie, barge across Lake Tanganyika to Kigoma (TZ), and rail to Dar es Salaam. That plan doesn’t name the
Kalemie–Manono road as a primary haul route; AVZ focused on
upgrading Manono→Kabondo-Dianda roads and using
rail + lake for the Kalemie leg. But the 2024–2025 rehab of the
Kalemie–Manono corridor would materially complement that eastern route.
Central Corridor TTFA+4Minedocs+4Annual Reports+4
A few anchors in AVZ materials and third-party logistics sources:
- DFS (Apr 2020): models two export routes (Dar es Salaam and Lobito); capex explicitly includes “Roads (MN→KD …)”—i.e., Manono→Kabondo-Dianda—not a direct Manono→Kalemie road haul. Minedocs
- 2021 Annual Report / ASX: creation of Nyuki Logistics and securing the Kabondo-Dianda intermodal staging site to move product to Dar es Salaam (and Lobito). Annual Reports+1
- Route mechanics: from Kabalo/Kabondo-Dianda AVZ’s “eastern route” can go east to Kalemie by SNCC rail, then lake vessels Kalemie→Kigoma, and on the Tanzanian Central Line to Dar—the exact chain the road rehab would strengthen. Rail Forum+1
- Kalemie–Manono road project (2024): province-backed rebuild of the ~446 km link to Kalemie—useful context for any future re-optimization of AVZ’s eastern logistics. Central Corridor TTFA
So: AVZ didn’t hinge its plan on trucking the whole way
Manono→Kalemie, but its documented
rail-and-lake “eastern route” runs straight through
Kalemie, and the new road works would likely
de-risk/expand options for that corridor. If you want, I can trace lot-by-lot sections (road vs rail vs barge) and where each upgrade would shave costs or time for a 700 kt/y SC6 scenario.