RRB MEMBERS UNHAPPY WITH DELAY IN TANZANIA SUMBAWANGA AIRPORT CONSTRUCTION

Members of the Regional Road Board (RRB) in Tanzania has been upset with the delay for the construction of Sumbawanga Airport in Rukwa Region.

The project which is now in its tenth year has been on halt after Tanzania Airport Authority (TAA) allocated 20m/- for evaluation of 187 hectors of land for the construction of a new terminal at Kisumba village in Sumbawanga municipality.

During a meeting, the members of the 44 RRB expressed dissatisfaction over the delay of 55.9bn/- airport project for almost a decade. The members also aired similar concern last October during the 36 RRB.

Chairman of the board meeting, Mr Joseph Mkirikiti said the new airport would have enormous economic gain for the region and the country as whole.

Mr Mkirikiti who is  Rukwa Regional Commissioner RC also noted that “The terminal is viable economically as it will serve as the gateway to neighbouring Zambia, DR-Congo, Rwanda and Burundi.”

The Sumbawanga Airport was originally built as an aerodrome following World War II, and plans for its modernization/redevelopment were born approximately 10 years ago by the Tanzanian government with the goal of making it a pole of economic development capable of developing, in particular, the host region’s agricultural and tourist potential.

The redevelopment project is projected to cost around USD 24 million. It is co-financed by Tanzania’s government and the European Investment Bank (EIB), the European Union’s lending arm and the world’s largest multilateral lender.

SOURCE: Daily News