SGR gets lion’s share of Works ministry’s budget

Dodoma. The standard gauge railway (SGR) project will gobble up more than half of the Works, Transport and Communications ministry’s development budget in the next financial year.

The 2019/20 budget proposals tabled before Parliament by the minister in charge of the docket, Mr Isack Kamwelwe, shows that Sh2.5 trillion of the Sh4.8 trillion development budget, or 52.1 per cent, will be set aside for construction of SGR between Dar es Salaam, Tabora, Isaka and Mwanza and between Isaka and Rusumo.

Mr Kamwelwe requested Parliament to endorse Sh4.9 trillion, with development projects getting 14 per cent more than the sum set aside in the current financial year.

“Out of Sh2.5 trillion for SGR, some Sh2.4 trillion is meant for construction of the Dar es Salaam-Makutupora section,” he said. The remaining sum will go into preparations for construction of the Isaka-Rusumo railway line and the one running from Makutupora-Tabora-Isaka.

Activities to be undertaken include completion of the construction of the 300 kilometres between Dar es Salaam and Morogoro and 422 kilometres linking Morogoro and Makutupora.

The minister said Sh255.7 billion is to be set aside for financing feasibility study and initial works for the Mpanda-Karema, Tabora-Kigoma, Tanga-Arusha-Musoma and Mtwara-Mbamba Bay lines with branches to Liganga and Mchuchuma mines.

Sh500 billion will be set aside for Air Tanzania Company Limited (ATCL). The funds will be spent on, among other, completing payment for the second Boeing 787 Dreamliner jet and the fourth Bombardier Q400 airliner.

“The government is committed to taking deliberate measures to take the national carrier to the next level,” Mr Kamwelwe said.

Furthermore, the government plans to spend some Sh102.2 billion on the construction, upgrade and rehabilitation of airports. Development partners are expected inject Sh62.2 billion, with the remainder coming from domestic sources. Airports lined up for construction and upgrade include Msalato, Kigoma, Sumbawanga, Tabora and Shinyanga.

“While for Msalato airport we plan to start with reviewing the feasibility study and detailed engineering design, activities at Kigoma, Sumbawanga, Tabora and Shinyanga will, among others, involve construction of terminal buildings, car parking and installation of lighting systems,” noted Mr Kamwelwe.

He added that the government is also set to upgrade and rehabilitate Songwe, Mwanza, Arusha, Mtwara and Kilimanjaro airports.

The minister also revealed that some Sh26 billion would be dished out to the Tanzania Airports Authority (TAA) for putting finishing touches to Julius Nyerere International Airport (JNIA) Terminal 3, which is scheduled to be completed this month. The government has also set aside Sh19.5 billion for the Ubungo interchange.

Chairman of Parliament’s Infrastructure Committee Selemani Kakoso (Mpanda Rural-CCM) urged the government to increase the works budget to ensure that key development projects don’t stall.

“Despite a 14 per cent increase in the development budget, money for the works sub-sector has been slashed by 39.08 per cent, threatening the construction of roads,” he said.

Speaking on behalf of Works, Transport and Communications shadow minister, Ms Susan Kiwanga (Mlimba-Chadema) warned that ATCL could not become profitable if political interference in its operations continue. “ATCL has people with the requisite skills, but the challenge remains interference by people who know nothing about aviation...this is unacceptable,” she said.