Tanzania to Burundi road links to be upgraded

Two roads linking Tanzania with Burundi in East Africa will be upgraded. Construction work will start in 2019. Some US$322 million of funding is being provided by the African Development Bank (AfDB). Upgrades will be carried out on the roads connecting Rumonge with Gitaz as well as Kabingo with Kasulu and Manyovu. An new border post will be constructed.

The AfDB is also giving a funding package worth $322 million which will be used to upgrade the road connecting Bagamoyo in Tanzania with Malindi in Kenya.

Meanwhile a $160 million project for a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project in Tanzania has been awarded to a Chinese contractor, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC). The package of works is for the second phase of the BRT project and involves building a 20km section of road as well as a garage, control centre and 29 bus stops. The AfDB is providing $141 million of the necessary funding. The remaining funding will be provided by the Tanzanian Government.

These projects all form part of a wider plan to improve transport links across East Africa and will help develop the economy of the region.