By Business Insider Reporter
Tanzania has completed a transformative infrastructure project with far-reaching economic implications for the Lake Zone and the broader East African region.
The $260 million John Magufuli Bridge – now the longest bridge in East Africa – is expected to dramatically reduce transport times, energise trade and strengthen regional integration across the Great Lakes corridor.
Stretching 3.2km across the Mwanza Gulf and 4.7km in total, the bridge connects the previously isolated towns of Busisi and Kigongo.
Where ferries once forced travelers and cargo to endure three-hour delays, the new dual-carriageway bridge will allow seamless passage at speeds of up to 120km/h. Analysts estimate that travel time between Mwanza and Geita could be slashed by up to 70%, with direct benefits to mining operations, agriculture logistics and consumer markets.
According to Ministry of Works, the bridge is expected to support over 1,600 vehicles per day initially, with numbers projected to double within five years as trade and commuter patterns intensify. It will form a strategic artery linking Usagara, Sengerema, and Geita – zones rich in gold, agriculture, and fisheries – with urban and export markets.
“This bridge is not just concrete and steel. It’s an economic lifeline,” said Abdallah Ulega, Minister for Works. “We expect this corridor to boost trade volumes, attract investment in the Lake Zone, and stimulate tourism around Lake Victoria, one of Africa’s largest freshwater bodies.”
The bridge also enhances the B163 trunk road, linking Tanzania’s heartland to regional trading partners. Lake Victoria borders four countries – Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, and touching trade routes to Rwanda, Burundi, and eastern DRC. With reduced logistical friction, Mwanza has potential to emerge as a regional trade hub, especially for goods in transit to Central Africa.
A study by the African Development Bank (AfDB) notes that poor transport infrastructure has long held back intra-African trade, which stands at only 15% compared to over 60% in Europe.
Projects like the Magufuli Bridge, the AfDB report states, are essential in turning African corridors into engines of growth.
Financed entirely by the Tanzanian government, the bridge was designed and constructed by a Chinese consortium – China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) and China Railway 15th Bureau.
Construction began in 2019 under the late President John Magufuli, after whom the bridge was named posthumously.
Beyond its economic promise, the bridge is also a feat of sustainable engineering.
Builders deployed eco-sensitive technologies such as cofferdams instead of underwater concrete pours to protect Lake Victoria’s delicate ecosystem.
This effort won praise from the Chinese government, which cited the project as a Belt and Road Initiative flagship.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan is set to officially inaugurate the bridge next month, underscoring her administration’s commitment to continuity and domestic resource mobilisation.
The fact that the project was completed without external borrowing has been hailed as a testament to Tanzania’s growing fiscal resilience.
In the words of Minister Ulega: “The JP Magufuli Bridge is more than a road – it’s a symbol of self-reliance, regional ambition and the untapped potential of the Tanzanian people.”
