By Mary Hearty
The newly launched Dodoma Outering road project will open markets for Tanzania, enabling the country to produce more and build the economy,” Samia Suluhu Hassan, Tanzanian President said.
She was speaking during the formal launch of the construction of the 112.3 kilometres road project which was flagged off by both Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina, the head of the African Development Bank Group and President Hassan.
The project will form part of the Trans-African Highway Corridor that links Cape Town to Cairo via Dodoma, crossing the Central Corridor via Dar es Salaam to the interior of Tanzania.
“The Dodoma Outer Ring Road is more than a road project. It will include well-designed social infrastructure that benefits the youth and women, strengthen the institutional capacity of the executing agencies, and deliver improved road safety measures,” said Adesina in a statement.
The African Development Bank Group approved funding for the Dodoma City Outer Ring Road in 2019. The total project cost is $214.69 million, with the Bank providing nearly 65% of the funding or about $137.3 million. A further $41.8 million comes from the Africa Growing Together Fund, financed by the People’s Bank of China. The Tanzanian government’s contribution to the project is $34.5 million.
According to a press statement, the road project forms part of a masterplan to transform greater Dodoma into a thriving, sustainable city for its 2.4 million people. It serves the regional markets in Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, demonstrating one of the African Development Bank’s High Five priorities – ‘Integrate Africa’.
Once completed, the road is expected to improve accessibility to and around Dodoma City and the region. It will also reduce transport costs and travel times.