Tanzania is set to mark a historic milestone this May as President Samia Suluhu Hassan officially inaugurates the Kigongo–Busisi Bridge, now renamed the JPM Bridge in honour of the late President John Pombe Magufuli.
Spanning three kilometres across Lake Victoria’s Gulf of Mwanza, the bridge ranks as the sixth-longest in Africa and stands out as one of the most ambitious infrastructure undertakings in East and Central Africa.
Construction began on 25 February 2020, with completion initially slated for December 2024. However, under President Samia’s leadership, the project saw accelerated progress. When she assumed office, the bridge was only 20 percent complete, according to Minister of Works Abdallah Ulega.
“This is a landmark project—unlike any other in East and Central Africa,” Ulega told Parliament during the 2025/26 budget debate for the Prime Minister’s Office. He added that both MPs and citizens will be invited to witness the inauguration of what he termed a national achievement.
Built at a cost of Ksh35 billion, the bridge will significantly improve connectivity between Mwanza and Geita regions, reducing reliance on ferry transport and boosting trade and mobility across the Lake Victoria zone.
The JPM Bridge is a symbol of Tanzania’s ongoing infrastructure transformation and a tribute to President Magufuli’s legacy in engineering development.
