The Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) has signed an agreement with the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania to provide a grant aid of up to 4.1 billion yen (US$29 million) for the construction of Dodoma City Inner Ring Road.

The project will develop a 6.5-kilometre road connecting Bahi and Makulu intersections via Kikuyu Road. An existing 3.4km, two-lane road will be expanded to four lanes, while a 3.1km section of the new four-lane inner ring road road will be built.

The signing took place in Dar es Salaam and involved Japanese ambassador to Tanzania Misawa Yasushi and permanent secretary of the ministry of finance Natu El-Maamry Mwamba.

According to Jica, the capital of Tanzania, Dodoma, has seen a significant rise in population due to the transfer of government functions to the city from Dar es Salaam in 2020, with the population in 2022 1.2x greater than it was in 2019.

However, there is no ring road that bypasses the Dodoma city centre, and large vehicles passing through the city are concentrated in certain central areas, resulting in the deterioration of the living environment due to exhaust and noise pollution.

Since the volume of traffic passing through Dodoma is expected to double in the ten-year period that began in 2019, it is necessary to improve the living environment and facilitate the flow of traffic by diverting large vehicles from the city centre.

Under this project, a new road will be constructed from the Makuru Intersection to the Imagi Intersection of the inner ring road in Dodoma City (two lanes, approximately 3.1km) and the existing two-lane road from the Imagi Intersection to the Bahi Intersection will be widened to accommodate four lanes (approximately 3.4km).

The project will contribute to smoother traffic and an improvement of the living environment in Dodoma, as well as to the achievement of  Sustainable Development Goals 3 (good health and well-being) and 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure).

The project aligns with the National Five-Year Development Plan (2021/22 – 2025/26), which aims to achieve competitiveness and industrialization for people’s development, focusing on increasing efficiency and productivity using existing resources, says secretary Mwamba.

He notes that the agreements are a continuation of the strong cooperation between Tanzania and Japan, with Tanzania benefitting from Japan’s funding through grants and low-interest loans in various sectors, including agriculture, water, and health.