This archive report was first published on 4 August 2019.
On August 4, 2019, Tanzania took a significant step towards enhancing the Central Corridor transport system by signing a deal with two Chinese groups, China Civil Engineering Construction and China Railway 15th Bureau, for the construction of a 3.2km bridge over parts of Lake Victoria.
The bridge, which will connect Kigongo and Busisi areas in Mwanza region, is expected to link Tanzania to Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Burundi via road, significantly reducing travel time and facilitating trade in the region.
Currently, vehicles take about three hours to cross to either side of the lake via a ferry, with two hours spent in a queue to get onto the ferry and another hour to get to the other side.
According to Patrick Mfugale, the chief executive of the Tanzania Roads Agency, the bridge will reduce transport time and facilitate trade among countries in the region.
As part of the deal, the government has also set up a one-stop centre for the smooth haulage of cargo and passengers.
Tanzania's Minister of Works Transport and Communication, Isaac Kamwelwe, said that cargo lorries arriving at Mwanza from the Dar es Salaam port will go directly to the freight ship destined for Uganda via Port Bell without their content being offloaded.
