The bridge is now the longest in East Africa and the sixth-longest on the African continent.
The bridge opened to visitors in June 2025 (Picture: Alamy Inventory Photograph)
In a landmark infrastructure improvement for the area, Tanzania’s Magufuli Bridge is now totally operational in 2026, remodeling how folks and items transfer throughout Lake Victoria and reshaping commerce routes throughout East Africa. Formally opened to visitors in June 2025, the bridge stretches about 2 miles throughout the southern finish of Lake Victoria linking the districts of Misungwi and Sengerema in north-western Tanzania.
Earlier than the bridge was constructed, there was no highway hyperlink between Kigongo and Busisi. The bridge now slashes journey instances from two to 3 hours by ferry to only beneath 5 minutes by highway.
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The bridge is the longest extra-dosed cable-stayed bridge in Africa (Picture: Alamy Inventory Photograph)
The undertaking was totally financed by the Tanzanian authorities and was constructed by a three way partnership between two Chinese language corporations, China Civil Engineering Building Company and China Railway fifteenth Bureau.
China Civil Engineering Building Company stated in a press launch that the bridge “drastically lowers cross-lake transport prices by 10% to fifteen%.”
The undertaking price over TZS 700 billion which is roughly £199million. The bridge formally opened to visitors on June 19, 2025. The inauguration was led by President Samia Suluhu Hassan. The bridge is anticipated to learn the over a million folks residing round Lake Victoria.
Building began in 2019 and it was first named the Kigongo-Busisi Bridge. It was later renamed in honour of late President John Pombe Magufuli who launched the undertaking earlier than his demise.
The construction is Africa’s longest extra-dosed cable-stayed bridge and reportedly the second longest bridge with a keep cable system after Egypt’s Suez Canal Bridge.
One TripAdvisor person stated concerning the bridge: “The bridge is totally functunal and it is a breeze to cross that bay. It’s a very spectacular engineering achievement. No tolls both.”
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