Tanzania completes East Africa’s longest bridge without loans

* The US$260 million John Magufuli Bridge project spans 3.2km across Lake Victoria set to open to traffic on June 19, 2025

* The bridge reduces reliance on ferries, improving travel safety and efficiency, and unlocking economic potential in the Lake Zone

By Solomon Ekanem, Africa Business Insider

Tanzania has completed is US$260 million John Magufuli Bridge, the longest in East Africa and one of the 10 longest on the African continent — without relying on loans but using domestic resources.

Spanning 3.2 kilometers across Lake Victoria, the bridge will officially open to traffic on June 19, 2025, with Tanzanian President, Samia Suluhu Hassan expected to lead the inauguration, Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa announced during a tour of the site.

Minister for Works, Abdallah Ulega hailed the project as a flagship achievement of the Sixth Phase Government, emphasising its strategic importance for national development.

“The JP Magufuli Bridge stands as a powerful symbol of our country’s capacity to mobilise domestic resources for transformative infrastructure,” Ulega said. “It will ease travel between Kigongo and Busisi, reduce dependence on ferry transport, and unlock the vast economic potential of the Lake Zone.”

The bridge replaces a long-standing reliance on ferries, which often required up to three hours to cross the lake due to boarding delays and safety risks.

Its completion is expected to significantly reduce travel time, improve safety, and enhance the movement of goods and people across the region.

The construction, which was handled by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) and China Railway 15th Bureau (CR15B) was delayed due to the CoVID-19 pandemic.

Named in honor of the late President John Magufuli, the project symbolises both his infrastructural legacy and Tanzania’s long-term commitment to regional development.

In 2019, the government of Tanzania, under President John Magufuli, contracted a consortium of two Chinese state-owned engineering and construction companies to design and build this transport infrastructure.

The bridge was earlier named the Kigongo-Busisi Bridge, but was later renamed in honor of former President Magufuli, who launched the project before his death in 2021.

Funded entirely with over TZS700 billion in domestic resources, the project is one of Tanzania’s most ambitious infrastructure achievements to date, according to The Citizen.

It connects the towns of Kigongo and Busisi and forms a crucial link in a broader 90-kilometre highway network connecting Usagara, Sengerema, and Geita — an area rich in economic activity, particularly mining.

Beyond national impact, the bridge will strengthen trade and economic integration with landlocked neighbours such as Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.