Urban Development of Mwanza and Arusha by Singapore Consultant Firm

Mwanza and Arusha cities will be revitalized and modernized with the help of Surbana International Consultants according to the June 2014 signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the company and the government of Tanzania. The MoU was signed on Monday the 16th of June 2014 by Mr Alphayo Kidata, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Human Settlements of Tanzania, and Mr Kong Wy Mun, the Singapore Minister for Local and Foreign Affairs. Mwanza and Arusha - both rapidly growing urban areas - being one of the fastest growing and urbanizing cities in Tanzania have 4 million and 500,000 people respectively, and are currently experiencing problems with unplanned settlements, traffic jams, and hawkers in public areas. The Surbana International Consultants will assist the local authorities with re-designing, modernising, and sculpturing the skylines of Mwanza and Arusha. “We need to redesign, plan and modernise our growing cities in order to solve problems of inadequate housing, like in the case of Arusha, as well as providing ample space for productive industries as well as business activities,” said Mr Kidata at the press conference after signing the MoU. According to Mr Kidata, a firm that with a good track record (such as the Surbana) was needes to revitalize the cities Improvement of the cities’ urban settlements is expected to start in June 2015. Surbana International specializes in sustainable urban solutions and managed to create homes for about 85% of the Singapore population.