Tanzania Mwanza Airport Expansion Project Progresses

Tanzanian Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda recently visited Tanzania’s Mwanza airport to verify the progress of the USD 66 million airport expansion project that began in June 2012 and is scheduled to finish in October 2015.   According to Charles Tizeba, the Tanzania Deputy Minister for Works, the Lake Victoria airport has already earned international status since construction began and, upon completion, will become a transport hub in the Great Lakes region with the capability of welcoming larger aircraft including Boeing 747s. Hon. Tizeba went on to explain that the expansion and improvements to the airport would include the renovation of the control tower, expansion of the runway from 2,000 meters to 3,300 meters, and improvements to the parking areas for cars and for passenger and cargo planes and to the departure and arrival terminals. The Beijing Construction Engineering Group of China is charged with completing the project using the USD 53 million in funding from the Tanzania government combined with a USD 13 million loan from the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA) and the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID).