Milestone as Samia officially opens JP Magufuli Bridge
MWANZA: HUNDREDS of excited Tanzania citizens lined both sides of the newly completed JP Magufuli Bridge today, June 19, 2025, to witness a historic moment as President Samia Suluhu Hassan officially inaugurated one of the largest infrastructure projects in the East African region.
The bridge, stretching 3.0 kilometers across Lake Victoria and connected by an additional 1.6 kilometers of access roads, links Kigongo in Mwanza Region to Busisi in Sengerema District, connected with Geita Region, a route that once depended on slow and unreliable ferry transport.
The bridge is now officially the longest in East and Central Africa and ranks as the sixth longest on the entire African continent, a remarkable engineering achievement and a source of national pride.
The inauguration drew senior government leaders and national figures, including Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa, former President Jakaya Kikwete, Minister of Works Abdallah Ulega, and CCM Vice Chairman Stephen Wasira, and leaders from the judiciary. Also in attendance was Janeth Magufuli, the widow of the late President John Pombe Magufuli.
They joined President Samia to unveil a project that has not only redefined transport in the region but has also deepened Tanzania’s physical and economic connectivity to neighboring countries.
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Built at a cost of 718.947bn/-, the bridge stands as a symbol of regional integration, providing a vital transport corridor linking Tanzania with Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Kenya.
For years, movement across this part of Lake Victoria required long waits for ferries, but the new bridge promises continuous, safe, and faster travel for both people and goods.
President Samia began the day’s program on the Kigongo side, where she toured the site and received a briefing from engineers and government officials.
After taking a closer look at the structure, she unveiled a ceremonial plaque mounted at a specially prepared foundation stone, officially declaring the bridge open.
She then continued to the Busisi end of the bridge, where the launch transitioned into a historic first: opening the bridge to live traffic.
In a symbolic moment, President Samia waved the national flag, signaling that vehicles could begin to cross.
A passenger vehicle led the way, followed by several buses carrying excited commuters, and later private cars, all moving smoothly across the bridge officially for the first time.
As the first vehicles rolled over the gleaming structure, cheers erupted from onlookers. For many in attendance, the moment marked not just the opening of a bridge, but the beginning of a new era of possibility, one where regional trade, tourism, and local livelihoods are expected to thrive, powered by improved connectivity and infrastructure that now firmly links both shores of Lake Victoria.
