DAR ES SALAAM: AS the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) phase 2 lot is set for handing over to the government next month, the contractor, Sinohydro Corporation, said the project has successfully transferred skills to locals.
In the course, more than 1,000 Tanzanians were employed during the project implementation construction of 20.3 kilometres from Mbagala to Gerezani in Dar es Salaam.
Project Manager Yuan Rui said throughout the project they used locals in the construction and trained them well in doing a lot of work on the fields.
“From the time we started the project in 2019, we used local employees and we have trained them and they helped us in operating some machines on the field when building the BRT infrastructures,” Mr Rui stated.
In quick analysis, the BRT system in Temeke District will reduce traffic congestion for vehicles to and from the city centre.
He added: “it will also reduce emissions of gases that contribute to global climate change which lead to air pollution and smoke and also provide valuable Public health benefits by reducing road fatalities, crashes and injuries.”
On his part, the company’s Safety Officer, Mr Kichawele Mruma, said the project is expected to benefit an estimated population of at least 1.2 million representing about 25 per cent of the Dar es Salaam City’s population and it would bring positive impacts.
The project objective is to provide transport facilities that are reliable and cost-effective for commuters and businesses, to improve urban mobility, connectivity and accessibility and to support the economic and social development of the city and country as a whole.
It will also boost economy to both formal and informal sectors as it will provide much more accessibility to the free movement of goods from one point to another, said Mr Mruma.
He added that the special groups such as women, school children, the handicapped and the elderly are expected to benefit from the newly constructed BRT system at the moment.
Speaking on the measures they have taken throughout the project, Mruma said that safety was their first priority before anything else and they make sure that workers are well equipped with safety gears.
