Our projects, our future, our responsibility
DAR ES SALAAM: IT is easy to roll our eyes at the word project. We have heard it before namely in the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), Bus Rapid Transit, especially in Dar es Salaam-the Dar es Salaam Bus Rapid Transit system (BRT), water schemes, energy plants all spoken about as if they belong to some distant “they” in government offices.
But here is a truth we must all embrace: These projects are ours. The Standard Gauge Railway carries Tanzanians whether one is a farmer, politician, doctor and so on. The Dar es Salaam Bus Rapid Transit does not move ministers; it moves mothers, students and young hustlers chasing their next opportunity. Every drop of clean water from a public borehole quenches a citizen’s thirst, not a bureaucrat’s.
It is time we stop calling them government projects. They are Tanzanian projects and built with Tanzanian tax money, managed by Tanzanian professionals and meant to uplift Tanzanian lives. When a vandal steals a BRT ticket machine, they are not “getting back” at the system, they are simply robbing their own commute. When someone tampers with an SGR fence or siphons fuel from public works, it is not rebellion; it is self-sabotage.
Our forefathers built a nation from the dust of determination. We, the youth of Tanzania, must now build a culture of ownership and protection. The BRT Lane is not a parking lot; it is a lifeline. The SGR line is not a scrap yard; it is a corridor of commerce. And that new water project in your ward? It is the bloodstream of community health and dignity.
Ownership, however, does not stop at protection, but extends to participation. Every major infrastructure effort opens up a landscape of opportunities for young people. From construction, logistics and digital solutions to creative ventures like tour services, local branding, or maintenance enterprisesour national projects are economic ecosystems waiting for young minds to plug in.
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Instead of asking, “What has the government done for me?”, let us ask, “What can I do with what the government has done?” That subtle shift in attitude could unlock thousands of livelihoods. The SGR is not just a train; it is a moving marketplace. The BRT is not just a bus; it is a daily business hub for vendors, service providers and advertisers. Every community water project is a chance for youth to innovate around cleantech, maintenance services, or water-based agribusiness.
Let us cultivate a national culture where vandalism is not seen as resistance but as regression; where protection is patriotism and where development is not them versus us, but us for us.
