PM assures completion of stalled projects

KONDOA: PRIME Minister Mwigulu Nchemba yesterday said the government will accelerate implementation of delayed development projects across the country after prioritising funding for major strategic national investments, including the Julius Nyerere Hydropower Project and the Kigongo–Busisi Bridge.

Speaking during a public rally in Mnenia, Kondoa District in Dodoma Region yesterday, Dr Nchemba reassured residents that all development commitments made during the election campaign and outlined in the ruling party manifesto would be implemented, with priority now shifting to projects nearing completion.

“I assure you that everything promised during the campaign and included in the Election Manifesto will be implemented,” he said.

The Prime Minister said the government has internally agreed to fast-track projects that are between six months and one year from completion in order to deliver services more quickly to wananchi. He said the projects include water, electricity, roads and public service facilities, adding that contractors will be required to return to sites and speed up implementation.

Dr Nchemba explained that delays affecting some development projects were not caused by negligence, but resulted from a deliberate government strategy to first complete major national investments considered essential for the country’s economic transformation.

He said the government at one point considered renting emergency electricity generation equipment to address power shortages, but President Samia Suluhu Hassan directed that resources instead be channelled towards completing the Julius Nyerere Hydropower Project.

According to him, the decision has strengthened the country’s electricity generation capacity, with more than 4,000 megawatts now connected to the national grid, while remaining challenges are mainly related to distribution infrastructure rather than electricity generation itself.

On education, Dr Nchemba said the government is continuing to expand technical and vocational training opportunities through construction of 103 schools across the country, including 29 engineering institutions.

He also said Tanzania is preparing to implement a 10-year compulsory education system, a move expected to require construction of secondary schools in every village as well as approximately 23,000 additional classrooms nationwide.

“This means every village will have a secondary school,” he said.

In the health sector, the Prime Minister said reforms are underway to improve efficiency and accountability in service delivery, while warning against unethical practices involving referral of patients to private pharmacies when medicines are available in public health facilities.

He further assured residents that implementation of roads, water and health projects in Kondoa would be closely monitored to ensure timely completion.

Responding to concerns raised by residents, Deputy Minister for Energy Salome Makamba said Kondoa Constituency has 381 hamlets, of which 233 are already connected to electricity, while 148 still lack access.

She said 60 hamlets are currently under implementation, leaving 88 yet to be connected, with the government targeting full electricity access by 2027.

Ms Makamba said electricity projects worth more than 21bn/- are being implemented in Kondoa during the current financial year, while over 700m/- has also been allocated to help households located far from power lines reduce connection costs and improve access to electricity.

She added that the government plans to replace aging poles and wires with modern concrete infrastructure as part of broader efforts to strengthen the distribution network and improve reliability of electricity services.

On his part, Deputy Minister in the President’s Office – Regional Administration and Local Government (Health), Dr Festo John Dugange, said the government has invested billions of shillings in Kondoa over the past four years, covering administrative buildings, staff houses, teachers’ houses and health facilities.

He said the health sector alone has received over 11bn/-, supporting the construction of a modern district hospital, health centres, dispensaries, medical equipment and recruitment of health workers. He confirmed that the expansion of Mnenia Health Centre has been approved and will soon receive funding.

In education, he said more than 8bn/- has been used to construct schools, classrooms, laboratories and teachers’ housing, significantly improving access and learning conditions.

On roads, he said TARURA manages about 667 kilometres in Kondoa, with ongoing works including the 350m/- Mto Bubu bridge, rehabilitation of the Changaa road and a 472m/- funding request for the Bumbuta–Mahongo road. Other roads are either under construction or included in upcoming budgets.