2008 Press Release
Tanzanian and U.S. Teams assess designs for new U.S.-funded roads in Ruvuma
July 2, 2008
A joint team that included representatives from Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) –Tanzania, from the Millennium Challenge Corporation (both MCC/Washington and the resident country mission in Tanzania), and from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), recently returned from an initial assessment mission in Ruvuma, Mbeya and Rukwa regions. The teams were examining roads that are to be rehabilitated under the Millennium Challenge Compact signed by Presidents George W. Bush and Jakaya Kikwete in February, 2008.
According to a statement from the U.S. Embassy, the team included Tanzanian and American experts in civil and structural engineering as well as environmental and social impact assessment. Along the way, the team met with various local officials, including acting Regional Commissioners in Rukwa, Ruvuma and Mbeya, as well as technical staff from the local offices of TANROADS.
The purpose of the trip was to familiarize the visiting members of the team with the actual conditions in the region, as they continue to review and assess the existing road designs, and the state of existing plans for handling environmental and social impacts. As several members of the team emphasized, the rehabilitation of major roads requires not only careful and detailed engineering designs, but also comprehensive plans to avoid or mitigate any adverse environmental or social impacts on those who will be affected.
According to MCC Senior Director Nancy Convard, an expert who holds both a civil engineering and environmental engineering degrees, “Proper civil engineering must fully take into account appropriate environmental and social planning into the designs themselves, using an integrative approach that minimizes negative impacts, and thus maximizes the ultimate benefits made available to all.”
The team explored the roads from Namtumbo to Mbinga, and from Tunduma to Sumbawanga. These road segments are part of the larger Transport Sector Project under the Compact, which also will include upgrading of Mafia island airport, as well as the rehabilitation of the road between Tanga and Horohoro and up to 36 kilometers of rural roads on Pemba Island in Zanzibar.
As many including President Kikwete have noted, the current transport infrastructure in Tanzania is inadequate to meet the needs of the country’s widely dispersed population. Roads are essential for commerce, especially agricultural commerce, and trade between Tanzania and its neighbors. Improved roads will also help connect communities with schools and health clinics and promote the expansion of economic opportunities by reducing transport costs and thus increasing the incomes of local farmers.
The Millennium Challenge Compact also includes components that will provide significant assistance in the energy and water sectors. A total of $698.1 million in U.S. assistance will be provided under the Compact over a period of the next five years.