Tanzania is planning to connect its mainland to the stunning archipelago of Zanzibar to boost trade and tourism.
It plans to build an incredible 31-mile-long bridge connecting the islands with the major city of Dar es Salaam, a project that will secure the title of Africa’s longest bridge.
Zanzibar comprises many small islands and two large islands, Unguja (informally known as Zanzibar) and Pemba Island.
Home to stunning white-sand beaches and lively towns and cities, it is no surprise that the Tanzanian government has jumped on the growing trend of visitors, which saw a huge surge from just 19,000 in 1985 to around 800,000 last year.
Currently, the longest bridge in Tanzania is the 0.62-mile Mkapa Bridge, which spans the Rufiji River. The new bridge, however, is expected to be fifty times longer.
Original proposals for the Tanzania-Zanzibar bridge, which is yet to be formally named, date back to 2020, with an expected completion date of 2028. However, little progress has been documented since the announcement in Parliament in spring 2023.
At the time, the Government’s estimated cost was $2.7 billion (£2 billion) and is expected to be a public-private partnership, with some funding from the African Development Bank.
In May 2023, Geoffrey Kasekenya, Tanzania’s deputy minister of Works and Transport, announced that the China Overseas Engineering Group Company (COVEC) had expressed an interest in collaborating on the project and was involved in talks with stakeholders on both sides of the proposed bridge. According to The Citizen, talks were said to be in “advanced stages.”
The Government is also discussing plans to build a rail link with Kenya and an electrified railway to connect with Burundi, passing through the Democratic Republic of Congo in an attempt to reduce trade barriers.
Further afield, the longest bridge on the African continent is found in Cairo, the 12.7-mile 6th October Bridge. Its name commemorates the date of Operation Badr in 1973, which sparked the Yom-Kippur War. It was completed in 1996 after nearly 30 years of construction.
Again, Tanzania’s new bridge would eclipse the 6th October Bridge.
Unlike much of the rest of the world, Africa lacks long bridges due to the absence of obstacles, such as deep canyons and extensive waterways, which would necessitate their installation.
So far, the Government has not indicated when construction might begin. The May 2023 report noted that the Zanzibar Government had yet to receive an official communication regarding the bridge’s construction.
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