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| Image Source Bongo5 |
A bridge built by Chinese firms in Tanzania at a cost of
$135 million has been formally opened in the country’s commercial capital Dar
es Salaam.28 Apr 2016
Tanzania’s president John Magufuli, who opened the bridge on
19 April, told China’s ambassador to the country, Lu Youqing, that the project
would further boost the country’s economic growth.
China’s state Xinhua News Agency said the bridge, connecting
Kigamboni and Kurasini to Dar es Salam’s central business district, was built
as a joint venture by the China Railway Construction Engineering Group and the
China Railway Major Bridge Group.
According to Xinhua, the 680 metre-long bridge “is the first
of its kind in east and central Africa”. “It is 32 metres wide, has six lanes,
three in each direction, and two pedestrian and cyclist lanes.”
The project, which began in 2012, was jointly funded by Tanzania’s
government and Tanzania’s National Social Security Fund, Xinhua said.
Chinese firms are involved in a number of infrastructure
projects in Tanzania and China is a key long-term investor in the country.
According to the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, Chinese
investment in Tanzania rose to more than $4 billion in 2014, “almost doubling
the amount in 2013”. The forum said: “The level of investment, up 60% to a
historic high, comes as China attempts to help turn Tanzania into an industrial
hub in the region.”
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