INFRASTRUCTURE DRIVE: Contractors award Samia
DAR ES SALAAM: PRESIDENT Samia Suluhu Hassan has received a special award from contractors in recognition of four years of record-breaking road and bridge projects and for expanding opportunities for local firms.
The award was received on her behalf by Minister for Works, Abdallah Ulega, during a ceremony held in Dar es Salaam on Thursday. Speaking at the event, Minister Ulega said the honour was well deserved, as the progress achieved under President Samia’s leadership is both visible and transformative.
He cited the massive construction of roads and bridges in the last four years, describing it as unmatched in the nation’s history.
“Sometimes those of us living in Tanzania may overlook what has been achieved.But recently, the President of Burundi, Evariste Ndayishimiye, re- marked that he often gets lost when visiting Dar es Salaam because of the ma- jor infrastructure changes taking place.
He added, “In the past, Kigoma was seen as be- ing very far but now it is connected as never before. More bridges have been built in this first phase of her administration than in any other phase in our history,” Ulega said.
On empowering local contractors, the minister said that President Samia’s government has widened opportunities by giving Tanzanian contractors pref- erence in projects valued up to 50bn/-, a move that underlines the government’s commitment to strengthening local capacity.
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Highlighting the wider role of the sector, Mr Ulega said construction has become one of the key pillars of national development, contributing 16 per cent to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and creating about 1.8 million jobs.
At the same event, the minister directed the Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Works, Dr Charles Musonde, and the Chief Executive of the Tanzania National Roads Agency (TANROADS), Mohamed Besta, to meet with experts and present proposals on measures to ease traffic congestion in the Kamata and Buguruni areas of Dar es Salaam.
