The actual construction works of Sumbawanga Airport that is located in Rukwa Region, one of Tanzania’s 31 administrative regions, are set to begin following the completion of the preliminary work as recently announced by Mgeni Mwanga, the Acting Regional Director of Tanzania National Roads Agency (TANROADS).
TANROADS is an Executive Agency under the East African country’s Ministry of Works, Transport and Communications, responsible for the maintenance and development of the trunk and regional road network in Tanzania Mainland Classified Road Network.
Speaking during the celebration of Tanzania’s 60th Independence Anniversary Mr. Mwanga said that the completed works gulped a total of close to US$ 1.22M.
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Overview of the Sumbawanga Airport project
Noteworthy, the Sumbawanga Airport was first built after the Second World War with the of an aerodrome, and plans for its modernization/redevelopment were born approximately 10 years ago by the Tanzanian government with a view of making it a pole of economic development, capable of developing, in particular, the agricultural and tourist potential of the host region.
Covering an area of ​​approximately 187 hectares, the project is being carried out by Sinoshine Overseas Construction and Investment East Africa Ltd (China), under the supervision of SMEC International Pty Ltd, an Australian based-firm that provides consulting services on major infrastructure projects around the world, in collaboration with its subsidiary, SMEC Tanzania Ltd.
The cost and financing for the project
The Sumbawanga Airport modernization project is expected to cost approximately US$ 24M.
It is co-financed by the Tanzanian government and the European Investment Bank (EIB), the lending arm of the European Union and the world’s largest multilateral lender.
