#Samia@3: How Samia proved critics wrong on mega projects

Dar es Salaam. When President Samia Suluhu Hassan took office on March 21, 2021, there was widespread concern about whether her administration would be able to sustain the pace of the implementation of massive projects that had been initiated by her predecessor, John Magufuli, while she was serving as the vice president.

That was precisely why she decided to choose a ‘Let the work continue’ slogan, as she wanted to assure the country that, apart from initiating new projects, she would also ensure that she implemented every good venture that was introduced during the reign of Magufuli.

And, when she spoke to religious leaders in April 2021, she said the sixth-phase government did not come after an election, nor was it formed by another political party.

“That said, the direction for the sixth-phase government will be that of continuing with all the good things that were being implemented in the past and taking on other new projects that are good for Tanzania,” she said.

Some of the megaprojects that were in their early stages of implementation when President Hassan came to power included the multi-billion dollar Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) line, the Air Tanzania Company Limited (ATCL) revival plan, the 2,115 megawatt Julius Nyerere Hydropower Project, several flyovers, and the second phase of Dar es Salaam’s Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) infrastructure.

Other projects were the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (Eacop), the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) plant and the 3.2-kilometre Kigong-Busisi Bridge in Mwanza, among others.

Over the past three years, President Hassan's administration has delivered on her pledge by implementing these projects and many more with renewed vigour and zeal.

Available data show that while JNHPP was only done at 37 percent in April 2021, President Hassan’s administration stepped in swiftly and by December 2022, actual construction had reached 78 percent complete.

At that point, President Hassan herself officiated the opening of the diversion channel to direct water into the dam for the generation of electricity.

By January 2024, the $2.9 billion project construction had reached over 95 percent, with the Minister for Energy, Dr Doto Biteko, announcing that it had started producing at least 235 megawatts of electricity and that much more would be added in due course.

“These 235 megawatts would help reduce months-long power rationing... The second turbine, out of a total of nine turbines, will start producing electricity next month [this month],” Dr Biteko, who doubles as Deputy Prime Minister, said in February.

A similar story could be true of the speed of implementing the SGR.

While there was some progress on phases one and two (from Dar es Salaam to Morogoro and from Morogoro to Makutopora) of the multi-billion dollar project, little was done on the other phases.

In fact, when she officiated the signing of the contract for the construction of the 368-kilometre SGR section between Makutupora and Tabora in December 2021, she said she would always strive to seek concessional borrowing as a viable source of funds to complete all five phases of the project.

“We will continue to implement projects despite efforts to discourage us from borrowing. Even developed countries have debts. We will borrow to complete the development projects we have initiated. That came six months after she laid the foundation stone for the construction of the Mwanza-Isaka 341-kilometre SGR section.

The project manager for the Isaka-Mwanza section of the SGR, Mr Christopher Callist, told Transport Minister Makame Mbarawa, who visited the project recently, that actual construction has reached 44.25 percent.

Other phases, including the sections from Makutupora-Tabora (294 km) and Tabora-Isaka (130 km), were currently under construction.

With the first two phases almost complete, the Tanzania Railways Corporation (TRC) conducted an inaugural trial journey of the electric SGR train from Dar es Salaam to Morogoro two weeks ago.

The trials followed a directive from President Hassan, who said she wanted SGR train services on the Dar es Salaam-Morogoro section to start before July this year.

Once commissioned for service, the SGR trains, running at an average speed of 160km per hour, will cut the time between Dar es Salaam and Morogoro to about two hours from the current four-hour journey by buses and five hours by train on the old metre gauge railway.

Meanwhile, the purchase of aeroplanes for ATCL has been sustained, with the new Boeing 767-300F freighter touching down on Tanzanian soil in June 2023.

Speaking during the reception of the plane, President Hassan said her government was also working on a request to buy more cargo jets.

In a similar vein, negotiations for an LNG project, which had stalled prior to President Hassan’s tenure, were reignited, leading to last year’s successful conclusion of talks between the government and Shell and Equinor.

These discussions encompassed a range of crucial areas within the Host Government Agreement (HGA), including the establishment of a production-sharing agreement and the formulation of regulatory framework provisions for the development of an LNG plant.

This plant is poised to process a portion of Tanzania’s substantial natural gas reserves, totaling 57.54 trillion cubic feet.

Meanwhile, progress on the $308.88 million Kigongo-Busisi Bridge, which is the longest bridge in east and central Africa, looks encouraging.

When President Hassan came to power, the project was still in its infancy, but until July 2021, it had been completed by 27 percent.

When he toured the project late last year, the Works Minister, Innocent Bashungwa, was quoted as saying that actual construction had reached 78 percent.

In Dar es Salaam, the construction of the second phase of the BRT project, with flyovers at the Uhasibu and Chang’ombe areas as well as a bridge at Gerezani, has been completed. Work on the Eacop is officially on.

Apart from road projects, a number of similar megatasks were being conducted at the Dar es Salaam, Mtwara, and Tanga ports.

Analysts say President Hassan deserves a pat on the back for sustaining Tanzania’s development momentum.

"It is customary in African countries to witness presidents neglecting projects left by their predecessors. However, this has not been the case with President Hassan, and the projects she has continued will serve as the foundation for advancing this country," said Development Economics Professor of the University of Dar es Salaam, Abel Kinyondo.

Dr Tobias Swai, a senior lecturer at the Department of Finance at the University of Dar es Salaam’s Business School, said some of the projects will provide relief to the economy and generate foreign exchange.