In a recent update that has placed Tanzania as a construction giant in East Africa region, the country has completed Magufuli Bridge. This bridge now stands as the longest bridge in Eastern Africa. The bridge is located at Lake Victoria and boasts a remarkable length of 3.2 kilometres. This project in Tanzania competes with the one that is upcoming in the coastal part of Kenya, the Mombasa Gateway Bridge.
This endeavour was undertaken at a cost of $300 million and it’s main contractor was the China Civil Engineering Construction Group (CCECG) Moreover, the funding of the project was fully done by the government of Tanzania.
Project Factsheet
Name: Magufuli Bridge
Cost: $300 million
Length:3.2 kilometres
Contractor: China Civil Engineering Construction Group (CCECG)
Financier: Government of Tanzania
Location: Sengerema and Misungwi districts (North western Mwanza)
Significance: Spur economic growth of the country and enable faster movement of people, goods, and services.
The construction works of the project commenced in the year 2019 under the late President John Pombe Magufuli. However its progress faced challenges after the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic which led to the delay of the completion of the project.
Initially, the bridge was named the Kigongo-Busisi Bridge. The name was later changed to Magufuli Bridge in order to honor and the commemorate the country’s former late President John Pombe Magufuli.Magufuli launched this mega project before his death occurred in the year 2021.
“The last tank of cement was poured in the project’s site on Sunday. The construction works of the Magufuli Bridge was officially completed by two Chinese companies in the north western part of the Mwanza region.”
How Unique is the East Africa’s Longest Bridge?
“The Magufuli Bridge stands as the longest of its kind in Africa and is the only extra dosed cabled- stayed Bridge in the Lake Victoria region.”
According to the current standing statistics, this mega bridge project will surely book a spot among the top 10 longest bridges in Africa.
“This mega bridge project connects Sengerema and Misungwi districts. Moreover, it is foreseen to be a very crucial link between Tanzania and the countries that border it. The bridge will be a gateway to Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi,” a report indicates.
Significance of the Project
This bridge comes with a number of benefits to the people of Tanzania. It is indeed a catalyst for spurring economic great and cut poverty levels in a large part of the country.
“Additionally, the bridge project will enable faster movement of goods, services, and people. It enables faster movement by cutting the travel time to approximately less than 5 minutes which when compared to using a ferry for transportation it takes over 2 hours,” one of the residents said.
“Furthermore, the bridge offered employment opportunities to more than 1200 local engineers in the region it is located,” reports indicate.” “The bridge also enabled the transfer of technology to the local engineers of Tanzania. This therefore enables social and growth. This project is also termed to be in line with the development visions of the country which seeks to be an economic giant in the African region.”
