DAR ES SALAAM, Feb. 10 (Xinhua) -- Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan on Wednesday laid the foundation stone for the construction of 112.3 km Dodoma City Outer Dual Carriageway Ring Road to Bitumen Standard.
The laying of the foundation stone was witnessed by the president of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Akinwumi Adesina, and other senior government officials.
Rogatus Mativila, the chief executive officer of the Tanzania National Roads Agency, said the construction of the 95.7-million-U.S. dollar road financed by the AfDB and the government of Tanzania is being undertaken by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation and AVIC INTL Project Engineering Company.
Mativila said the road will ease congestion in the capital Dodoma by diverting traffic on the trans-Africa highway corridor from South Africa to Egypt and the central corridor.
Hassan thanked the AfDB for supporting Tanzania's infrastructure projects, saying the new road will help stimulate trade with African countries through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
"This road will open doors to African markets for our agricultural products through the AfCFTA," said Hassan.
For his part, Adesina said the road will change the future of Tanzania.
"The road will connect Tanzania to the rest of Africa," said Adesina, pledging AfDB's continued support to financing infrastructure investments in Tanzania. ■
