Dodoma — THE Tanzania Rural and Urban Roads Agency (TARURA) has recorded major infrastructure achievements over the past four years, completing district road projects worth 262.46bn/- and implementing additional works valued at 40.49bn/-, bringing the total portfolio to 302.95bn/-.
Speaking recently in Dodoma, TARURA Chief Executive Officer Engineer Victor Seff attributed the achievements to President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s strong commitment to improving rural and urban connectivity, which has seen the agency’s annual budget rise from 275bn/- to 1.1tri/-, representing a 230 per cent increase.
“Among the major completed works are 58.5 kilometres of tarmac roads in the Government City at Mtumba, Dodoma; the 140-metre Berega Bridge in Kilosa, Morogoro, the 75-metre Mbwemkuru Bridge in Ruangwa, Lindi, the 12.5-kilometre Visiga-Zegereni tarmac road in Kibaha, Coast Region and a 5.1-kilometre tarmac road within Dodoma’s industrial area,” he said.
Engineer Seff also highlighted key ongoing donor-supported projects under TARURA’s supervision, including the Dar es Salaam Metropolitan Development Project (DMDP II) worth 1.136tri/-, the Msimbazi Basin Development Project (MBD) valued at 608.4bn/-, and the Tanzania Cities Transforming Infrastructure and Competitiveness (TACTIC) project worth 959.4bn/-.
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Other major projects include the Rural Roads Improvement and Socio-Economic Opportunities (RISE) project valued at 811.65bn/- and the Agri-Connect programme worth 138.5bn/-, targeting key agricultural zones producing coffee, tea, fruits and vegetables.
“Once completed, these initiatives will total about 3.68tri/- and deliver over 1,242 kilometres of tarmac roads, 151 kilometres of drainage, 56 markets and 39 bus terminals by April 2030,” Eng Seff said.
The TARURA chief noted that 99.2 per cent of all road construction and maintenance contracts are awarded to local contractors, with 30 per cent of the Road Fund allocated to special groups each year.
“So far, 344 community groups have been engaged in routine road works, creating over 173,000 jobs,” he added.
A recent study conducted jointly with the Economic and Social Research Foundation (ESRF) found that improved rural road networks have significantly reduced travel time by 17.5 minutes, cut transport costs by 75 per cent and lowered crop losses by 72.5 per cent.
“Accessibility to all-weather roads in rural areas has increased from 24.6 per cent in 2016 to 61 per cent this year, a milestone that demonstrates tangible progress in poverty reduction and rural transformation,” Engineer Seff noted.
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To further strengthen local contractor capacity, TARURA in collaboration with CRDB Bank launched the ‘Samia Infrastructure Bond’ to mobilise 150bn/- for affordable loans and performance guarantees.
“Already, 323bn/- has been raised surpassing the target by 215 per cent with 276 local contractors applying for 223.8bn/- in funding to support road construction and maintenance,” he said.
