China completes the construction of the longest bridge in East Africa

Photo credit: SoftPower News

Two Chinese construction companies, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation and China Railway 15th Bureau have completed the John Magufuli Bridge — a 3.2 km dual carriageway spanning southern Lake Victoria. Named after the country’s late president, the bridge links the towns of Kigongo and Busisi and is expected to significantly improve transport and trade in the region.

This new artery links Mwanza – Tanzania’s second-largest city – with surrounding regions and forms part of a larger 90-km highway network connecting the mining regions of Usagara, Sengerema and Geita.

Funded entirely by the Tanzanian government at a cost of US$260m, the project was designed and built by a joint venture between China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation and China Railway 15th Bureau. Construction began in 2019 but faced delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The bridge replaces a ferry service that could take over two hours to cross the lake. The road journey across the bridge now takes less than five minutes. The previous dependence on the unreliable ferry service proved particularly challenging for farmers, who risked not getting their produce to market in time if the vessel was not operating.

China has described the project as a flagship initiative of China-Africa cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative. Beyond improving connectivity in northwestern Tanzania, the bridge is expected to enhance trade links with its landlocked neighbouring countries. The terrain around this part of Lake Victoria – with its inlets, marshes and headlands – made the building of transport infrastructure difficult in the past. The completion of the bridge marks a major step in overcoming these geographic barriers.

The project forms part of Tanzania’s broader transport upgrade, which includes a US$10bn standard gauge railway. Once complete, the 2,201km line will connect Dar es Salaam to Mwanza and extend to Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The government estimates that transporting a container from Dar es Salaam to Kindu in the DRC will take just 36 hours by rail, down from 30 days by truck. The railway is being built in phases by Turkish and Chinese contractors.

Tanzania is also planning to upgrade the Tazara railway, a 1970s-era line linking Zambia’s Copperbelt region to Dar es Salaam. Beyond long-haul connections, investment has reached urban areas too: in Dar es Salaam, a bus rapid transit system has been rolled out, with engineering firm SMEC – owned by Surbana Jurong of Singapore acting as project management and construction supervision consultant.

The bridge is poised to significantly boost regional trade by reducing travel times and transport costs. It is hoped that improved access to markets will not only stimulate local industries but also attract foreign investment, creating a ripple effect of economic growth throughout the region.

 

References

‘China lands railway contract to link Tanzania to mineral-rich DRC’, NTU-SBF Centre for African Studies, 21 February 2023

'Magufuli Bridge, a new lifeline for Tanzanian communities and economy', Xinhua, 15 June 2024

‘SMEC secures PMCS role for Dar Es Salaam BRT, Phase 5’, SMEC, 14 October 2024

'Bridge over Lake Victoria fully connected', State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, 11 October 2024

‘China’s CCECC to invest $1.4 billion in Tanzania-Zambia railway’, CNBC Africa, 20 March 2025

'President Samia to inaugurate Magufuli Bridge in next month', The Citizen, 15 April 2025

'East Africa’s longest bridge nears launch as Tanzania wraps $260 million project', Business Insider Africa, 22 May 2025

'Tanzania completes construction of East Africa's longest bridge', The Citizen, 23 May 2025

'Work completed on East Africa’s longest bridge', Global Construction Review, 23 May 2025