On July 4th, 2024, Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão paid a visit to the Port of Tibar Bay, where he expressed his appreciation for the work carried out by the port’s managers and employees. Accompanied by the Executive Director of Timor Port SA, Rafael Ribeiro, the Prime Minister had the opportunity to take a closer look at the facilities and the systems for checking and supporting the entry and exit of goods.
During the visit, the Prime Minister highlighted the importance of the Tibar Bay Port for the country’s economic development and praised the commitment of the employees who enable the port to operate 24 hours a day.
The Tibar Bay Port, located 10 kilometres west of Dili, is a priority infrastructure in the National Strategic Development Plan (NSDP) 2011-2030. Inaugurated in 2022, the port replaced the Port of Dili, facilitating the movement of imports and exports of goods with a cargo capacity of one million containers per year.
On the same day, the Prime Minister inaugurated the ecotourism walkways built by Timor Port SA, in the Tibar mangrove area, in Turleu, in the Tibar Village, Bazartete Administrative Post, in Liquiçá.
During the ceremony, Xanana Gusmão stressed the importance of environmental preservation and called on the community to take care of the mangroves, areas that, when well preserved, can attract visitors and contribute to local development. He also stressed the Government’s commitment to sustainable development and pointed out that the construction of infrastructure can coexist with environmental protection, saying that this is a good example of the good link that can be made between the public and the private – between the State and companies – for sustainable national development.
Timor Port’s Executive Director, Rafael Ribeiro, praised the Prime Minister’s vision and commitment to the Tibar Port project, highlighting the importance of replanting and preserving the environment as part of the public-private partnership concession contract.
The President of the Liquiça Municipal Authority, Paulino Ribeiro, thanked Timor Port for conserving the mangroves and emphasised the importance of caring for this ecosystem to attract tourists and generate revenue for the economy.
Tibar’s ecotourism walkways will now be open to the public daily from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., with an entrance fee of US$ 1 per visitor.