President Samia pledged protective barriers and drones to tackle wildlife incursions, loans for fishing boats and small traders, new markets to boost local commerce, and full electrification of every remaining village and sub‑village in the southern regions.
Dar es Salaam. President Samia Suluhu Hassan has unveiled an ambitious package of pledges to transform Tanzania’s southern corridor if re‑elected, promising mega‑projects and far‑reaching reforms for Ruvuma, Mtwara, and Lindi regions.
Her commitments include the long‑awaited $40 billion liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Lindi, a strategic railway linking the Port of Mtwara to Mbamba Bay in Ruvuma, and a power transmission line to stabilise supply in Masasi.
She also proposed major irrigation schemes, sustained fertiliser and pesticide subsidies, new universities and technical colleges, expanded hospitals and health centres, seaweed and cashew processing factories, modern airports, truck terminals, and rural road upgrades.
President Samia pledged protective barriers and drones to tackle wildlife incursions, loans for fishing boats and small traders, new markets to boost local commerce, and full electrification of every remaining village and sub‑village in the southern regions.
Addressing large crowds during a week of rallies, she insisted these were not empty slogans but the natural continuation of a track record of delivery already visible on the ground.
“Development does not come by chance. It comes through deliberate planning, hard work, and listening to the voices of the people. The work has started, but it is not finished. Together, we shall continue,” she said during a rally in Songea.
Consolidating a food basket, expanding education
In Ruvuma, her pledges focused on consolidating the region’s role as a food basket and transforming it into a commercial hub.
In Songea Urban, she said a new campus of the Institute of Accountancy Arusha, nearing completion, would host 12,000 students annually, reducing the need for young people to travel elsewhere for higher education.
She promised vocational training centres for persons with disabilities in Liganga and Karambo, emphasising inclusive education.
On agriculture, she pointed to subsidies that had boosted food production in Songea and Madaba, promising new processing plants for coffee and avocados to allow farmers to export value‑added products.
A large sugar project in Peramiho, she said, would create jobs and strengthen the economy, while forest‑based industries in Madaba would drive rural industrialisation.
She underlined Ruvuma’s contribution to national food security, noting its key role in maize exports for Tanzania and neighbouring countries.
President Hassan assured residents her government would complete the Songea bypass to ease congestion, continue road and bridge works, and connect every village to electricity by 2025, over half of them already linked.
Acknowledging gaps in mobile network coverage, she said expanding connectivity would unlock the southern corridor’s potential, cautioning farmers against reselling subsidised inputs and urging responsible use.
Local CCM leaders supported her message. Vice‑presidential running mate Emmanuel Nchimbi recalled her trust in him, while parliamentary candidate Damas Ndumbaro praised street lights and road renovations.
Peramiho candidate Jenista Mhagama credited fertiliser subsidies with cutting prices from Sh150,000 to Sh70,000, renewing farmers’ hope.
In Tunduru District, she reported water access rising from 23 percent to 75 percent through 31 projects, though areas such as Masuguru and Nalasi still lagged.
Eight new secondary schools, four new primary schools, 253 secondary classrooms, and 302 primary classrooms had been built, alongside dormitories and laboratories.
She confirmed that student loans would resume more efficiently after restructuring.
Loans worth Sh1.42 billion had been granted to youth and women entrepreneurs, coupled with health insurance for vulnerable groups.
She announced a new 116 megawatt intake station for homes and industries, including dormant cashew processing factories.
Roads in Mtumbuu, Miseteli, and central Tunduru, as well as the Mtwara–Nachingwea–Tunduru–Lindi corridor, would be upgraded to tarmac level.
In Nakapanya, she promised intensified cultivation of cashews and sesame, loans, modern tools, and continued fertiliser subsidies.
Protective barriers would prevent wildlife raids, and more schools, dormitories, and maternity wings would be built.
Local leaders echoed her pledges. Parliamentary candidate Sikudhani Chikambo cited over 100 completed projects worth Sh7.1 billion, while CCM chair Odo Mwisho said the President had transformed Ruvuma.
Secretary‑General Asha‑Rose Migiro called Nakapanya a hub for sesame and cashew production, urging re‑election until 2030.
Water and cashews in Mtwara
In Mtwara, the CCM hopeful focused on water supply and cashew farming. In Nanyumbu, she reported delivery of 17 major water projects, bringing clean water to 18 villages that had lacked it for decades.
Maratani Ward received 600 new connections, Sengenya 850, a direct response to citizens’ calls.
On agriculture, she acknowledged past frustrations of cashew farmers, announcing Sh3.5 billion for processing, storage, and price stabilisation, with noticeable improvements between last season and the current one.
In Masasi, she unveiled her boldest pledge, a railway from the Port of Mtwara to Mbamba Bay, describing it as a “game‑changer” for trade, agriculture, and investment in the southern corridor.
She pledged a power transmission line from Ruvuma–Tunduru to Masasi, with substations to ensure reliable supply for households and industry, and completion of the 100‑kilometre Mlivata–Mitesa road with upgraded feeder roads under the Rural and Urban Roads Agency (Tarura).
Addressing small traders, she assured bodaboda riders, bajaji operators, food and trade vendors (mama lishe, and machinga) that they were not forgotten, promising loans and market access through municipal councils. She reiterated support for fertiliser and seed subsidies.
“With your continued trust, we will build a modern railway, secure reliable electricity, sustain farmer support, and create opportunities for small traders,” she said.
Agribusiness, LNG promise in Lindi
In Lindi, Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa highlighted roads, schools, and health facilities delivered under her leadership, including the Nanganga–Ruangwa tarmac road and over Sh13 billion invested in local development.
President Hassan pledged more health centres, expanded education infrastructure, and universal household electrification.
She said Ruangwa’s mining sector would benefit from reliable energy, promised measures to deter destructive wildlife, and pledged youth, sports, and investments for self‑employment.
In Mtama, she urged moving from subsistence to commercial farming, with pigeon peas as a flagship crop, and promised subsidised inputs, affordable farm tools, and better roads linking markets.
She reiterated her commitment to the Mtwara–Lindi–Ruvuma–Mbamba Bay railway to open the south to trade.
In Mchinga, she outlined a vision to transform Lindi into an agribusiness hub, with Sh30.3 billion invested in irrigation schemes, livestock and poultry vaccines provided free, loans of Sh722 million for modern fishing boats, and plans for a seaweed processing plant for coastal women.
She proposed a modern market for vegetable producers, expanded water projects to ten more villages, drilled wells, and connected 32 remaining sub‑villages to the grid.
She announced five new health centres, a dispensary, recruitment of 5,000 health workers, seven primary schools, five secondary schools, and more teacher housing.
She promised a truck terminal, road upgrades, and deployment of rangers and drones to protect crops from elephants.
The southern tour climaxed in Lindi Urban, where she assured residents that the $40 billion LNG project was close to commencement after protracted negotiations to protect national interests.
She promised a modern airport, an expanded port, new university branches, a faculty of agriculture, a technical college, and a vocational training centre.
Highlighting health gains, she said Lindi now has three hospitals compared with one at independence, plus more health centres and dispensaries.
She pledged to connect every sub‑village to electricity and ensure clean water for all.
President Hassan pointed to billions in loans disbursed to women, youth, and persons with disabilities, markets built, and modern offices for traders.
Her rally saw high‑profile opposition figures defect to CCM, citing her leadership and the LNG project as decisive. She welcomed them and called on Tanzanians to unite for progress.
Analysts’ views
Political analysts say her pledges address longstanding needs in the southern corridor, with Prof Ali Makame Ussi (State University of Zanzibar) saying CCM targeted the main obstacles, poor roads, limited electricity, underdeveloped agriculture, and lack of value addition, and match the people’s priorities.
Dr Paul Loisulie (University of Dodoma) said the LNG project, railway, and irrigation schemes symbolised recognition of the south as an equal partner in national growth.
“These pledges are bold and relevant, but delivery will be the real test of the CCM leadership,” he said over the phone.
