Josephine Christopher is a senior business journalist for The Citizen and Mwananchi newspapers
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Rural feeder roads will be upgraded for year-round accessibility, while 133 new bridges will link communities that have long been cut off during the rainy season
Tabora. CCM presidential candidate and incumbent President Samia Suluhu Hassan on Thursday unveiled a bold plan to transform Tabora into a 24-hour business region, pledging infrastructure, energy, and service upgrades that she said would unlock economic opportunities around the clock.
Speaking at a campaign rally in Tabora Urban, President Hassan anchored her promises on the region’s historic role in Tanzania’s political life, while positioning its future as one of growth, innovation, and round-the-clock trade.
"Tabora carries the weight of history. It is here that Mwalimu Julius Nyerere studied before becoming the Father of the Nation, and it is here that some of Tanzania’s most defining political decisions were once made,” she said.
At the center of her pledge is the expansion of infrastructure designed to ease movement, power businesses, and create jobs. President Hassan said the ongoing expansion of Tabora Airport — already 95 percent complete — would position the region as a hub for tourism, trade, and investment.
She also announced plans for an 82-kilometer ring road to allow vehicles without business in the city center to bypass urban congestion.
Alongside this, rural feeder roads will be upgraded for year-round accessibility, while 133 new bridges will link communities that have long been cut off during the rainy season.
Perhaps most striking was her pledge to install 2,300 streetlights across Tabora.
“With well-lit streets, Tabora will be alive 24 hours a day, opening new doors for traders, transporters, and small businesses," she said.
President Hassan also tied Tabora’s transformation to food security and agricultural modernization.
She pledged increased access to fertilizers, inputs, and livestock vaccines to boost productivity, alongside irrigation schemes to protect farmers from erratic rainfall.
She highlighted water supply as both a social and economic issue, noting that Sikonge District already has 67 percent coverage.
“Our target is to end water scarcity across the whole region. With water, both households and businesses thrive,” she said.
She also promised that the new phase of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) would deliver more than just passenger and cargo services.
"Each SGR station will be equipped with storage facilities for crops, enabling farmers and traders to get better value for their produce,” she said
“This will also create thousands of jobs across the value chain.”
Former CCM Secretary-General Dr. Bashiru Ally also addressed the rally, reminding voters of the role party veterans have played in shaping the country’s path.
He praised Hassan's leadership and urged citizens to give her their support at the ballot box.
“As young and middle-aged generations take up leadership responsibilities, we must never forget the wisdom and guidance of our elders,” Dr Bashiru said.
He noted that many retired leaders and long-serving party members had already pledged their backing for Samia’s candidacy.
