East Africa's longest bridge nears launch as Tanzania wraps $260 million project
Spanning 3.2 kilometers across Lake Victoria, the bridge will officially open to traffic on June 19, 2025, with Tanzanian President, Samia Suluhu Hassan expected to lead the inauguration, Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa announced during a tour of the site.
The Minister for Works, Abdallah Ulega, hailed the project as a flagship achievement of the Sixth Phase Government, emphasizing its strategic importance for national development.
' The JP Magufuli Bridge stands as a powerful symbol of our country's capacity to mobilize domestic resources for transformative infrastructure, ' Ulega stated. ' It will ease travel between Kigongo and Busisi, reduce dependence on ferry transport, and unlock the vast economic potential of the Lake Zone.'
The bridge replaces a long-standing reliance on ferries, which often required up to three hours to cross the lake due to boarding delays and safety risks.
Its completion is expected to significantly reduce travel time, improve safety, and enhance the movement of goods and people across the region.
Named in honor of the late President John Magufuli, the project symbolizes both his infrastructural legacy and Tanzania's long-term commitment to regional development.
The John Magufuli Bridge
In 2019, the government of Tanzania, under former President John Magufuli, contracted a consortium of two Chinese state-owned engineering and construction companies to design and build this transport infrastructure project.
The two firms are China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) and China Railway 15th Bureau (CR15B) but the construction was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The bridge was earlier named the Kigongo-Busisi Bridge, but was later renamed in honor of former President Magufuli, who launched the project before his death in 2021.
Funded entirely with over TZS 700 billion in domestic resources, the project is one of Tanzania's most ambitious infrastructure achievements to date, according to The Citizen.
It connects the towns of Kigongo and Busisi and forms a crucial link in a broader 90-kilometre highway network connecting Usagara, Sengerema, and Geita—an area rich in economic activity, particularly mining.
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