Tanzanian MPs call for completion of East African coast highway

Tanzanian lawmakers are urging authorities to speed up work on a major road linking the port of Bagamoyo to Malindi in Kenya.

The parliamentary committee on infrastructure inspected the construction of the Tanga, Pangani to Bagamoyo road last week and called on the government to hasten the work to boost trade with Kenya.

Selemani Kakoso, chairman of the committee, said the cross-border road would boost economic development through cargo transport and tourism. 

While the Kenyan side is nearing completion, Tanzania has been slow, with the government initially citing financial constraints.

Read: Road connecting Kenya-Tanzania to be done by 2024

When completed, the Malindi-Bagamoyo transnational road, which is partly funded by the African Development Bank, will provide quick access to Saadani National Park for tourists travelling between Arusha, Tanga and Dar es Salaam.

Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan launched the road construction in late February last year.

The road is part of the East African Coastal Transport Corridor, which stretches from Lamu in Kenya to Mtwara in Tanzania and aims to promote regional integration by reducing travel time and facilitating trade and movement of people across borders.