Tanzania’s Revival Carries On As It Raises USD 272 Mn To Build An Int’l Airport In Dodoma
Tanzania has secured USD 272 Mn to build an international airport in its capital city, Dodoma. The loan, which came from the African Development Bank, will see the East African country expand its infrastructure.
The funding consists of a USD 198 Mn loan from the AfDB, and USD 23.52 Mn from the African Development Fund. The balancing USD 50 Mn is being co-financed by China;s Africa Growing Together Fund, which is under the management of the AfDB.
Tanzania is one of the poorest-performing economies in the continent. Nevertheless, the country has sustained a relatively high economic growth over the last decade, averaging 6 to 7 percent a year.
Approximately 36 percent of Tanzanians live below the poverty line. Yet the country’s economic potential is unmistakable. Under the leadership of John Magufuli, the nation’s economy has been developing in leaps and bounds.
The new airport will be built in Msalato, which lies roughly 12 km from Dodoma. The facility is expected to handle 1 million passengers yearly. It will take approximately 4 years to complete, during which a passenger terminal, runway and related infrastructure.
“An expanded air transport network in Dodoma, together with the ongoing high-speed railway construction on the central corridor, are necessary infrastructure investments to help unlock and disperse spatial development in the countryside.
This will strengthen the city’s potential as a strategic growth pole in keeping with Tanzania’ national development aspirations of fostering shared growth for all the regions,” said Amadou Oumarou, AfDB’s infrastructure and urban development department director.
There are about 29 airports in Tanzania. The Julius Nyerere International Airport is the international airport of Dar es Salaam, the largest city in Tanzania. It is located about 12 kilometres southwest of the city centre. The airport has flights to destinations in Africa, Europe, and the Middle East.
Image Courtesy: The Exchange
