At the Contract Signing Ceremony 20 April, 2026 JNICC Hall, Dar es Salaam United Republic of Tanzania — Prime Minister’s Office – TAMISEMI
PROJECT BRIEF FOR THE MSIMBAZI BASIN DEVELOPMENT PROJECT AT THE MSIMBAZI RIVER CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT SIGNING CEREMONY
1. INTRODUCTION
The Msimbazi Project aims to address flooding in the lower Msimbazi Basin area (Jangwani) alongside better land use management, given the area’s economic importance to Dar es Salaam. The project is expected to relocate more than 3,000 households and to widen and deepen the Msimbazi River, while also increasing the flood plain capacity in the lower Msimbazi Basin. The soil from this excavation will be used to create safe areas for residential and commercial use along the edges of the Basin; a total of 57 hectares are expected to be made available for these purposes.
The project will build a new bridge at Jangwani measuring 390 metres in length and a new Bus Rapid Transit depot at Ubungo Maziwa. The project also aims to improve degraded areas in the upper Basin and to coordinate human activities in order to control soil erosion that silts up the lower area and causes flooding. The project officially commenced in February 2023 and will be implemented over a period of six (6) years.
3,000 households to be relocated to make way for the project 57 Hectares total land to be made available for project use 390-metre New Bridge to be built at Jangwani
2. PROJECT COST
The project cost is estimated at USD 260 million, sourced from a concessional loan from the World Bank (USD 200 million), a concessional loan from the Government of Spain (USD 30 million), and a grant from the Government of the Netherlands (EUR 30 million).
The Dutch Government grant will contribute specifically to the implementation of the contract for widening and deepening the Msimbazi River and increasing flood plain capacity in the lower Msimbazi Basin. Under the agreement between the Governments of Tanzania and the Netherlands, these funds will be paid directly to the contractor upon government-verified completion of work. As this work is still in the procurement process, the grant has not yet been disbursed.
3. PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION
3.1 Compensation for Project-Affected Persons
To date, the project has paid approximately TZS 73.69 billion in compensation to around 2,551 project-affected persons to clear the lower Basin development area; this group comprises those affected by flooding. A second group of approximately 314 affected persons will be impacted by the construction of raised platforms for safe residential and commercial areas. The compensation rates for this second group have been submitted to the Government Chief Valuer for approval to conduct the valuation.
3.2 Construction of the New Jangwani Bridge
Construction of the Jangwani Bridge officially commenced in May 2025 under the supervision of TANROADS. The contractor building the bridge is M/s China Communication Construction Company Ltd. at a cost of TZS 97.1 billion, and the supervision consultant is Leporogo Specialist Engineers in JV with Afrisa Consulting Ltd and Dong Myeong Engineering Consultants & Architecture at a cost of over TZS 4.57 billion. Construction has currently reached 34% completion.
3.3 Widening of the Msimbazi River
Procurement of the contractor for the river widening, flood plains, and safe residential and commercial areas is in its final stages, as evidenced by today’s contract signing ceremony. A total of 11 companies applied for this tender, and the winning company is M/s China Civil Engineering Construction Cooperation in joint venture with China Railway Construction Cooperation Harbour Channel Engineering Bureau Group Co. Ltd. at a cost of TZS 195.66 billion.
The primary objective of this contract is to address flooding by widening and deepening the Msimbazi River, increasing flood plain capacity, and creating safe areas (57 hectares) free from flooding for residential and commercial use in the lower Msimbazi Basin. This work will essentially lay the groundwork for the construction phase — specifically building the City Park and residential/commercial areas — which are currently at the design stage. The contract includes the following key works:
| # | Activity | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Demolition of compensated structures and relocation of electricity, water, and telecommunications services within the project area | 420 ha |
| 2 | Clearing of vegetation, topsoil, and existing dumpsites within the project area | 270 ha |
| 3 | Securing the project area by placing boundary beacons | 900 |
| 4 | Widening and deepening the Msimbazi River, increasing flood plain capacity, and transporting excavated soil to designated residential and commercial areas | 2,330,000 m³ |
| 5 | Reinforcing the banks of the Msimbazi River | 35,100 m |
| 6 | Constructing residential and commercial areas by compacting soil to designed levels | 1,560,000 m³ |
| 7 | Filling a safe soil layer in the City Park area and residential/commercial zones | 660,000 m³ |
| 8 | Reinforcing the edges of residential and commercial areas | 8,100 m |
| 9 | Planting grass and various vegetation along the riverbanks and in residential/commercial areas | 260 ha |
| 10 | Construction of a management and maintenance workshop for sand extracted from the river for construction use | 2 |
The project implementation period is expected to be 24 months from when the contract conditions precedent are fulfilled, which is estimated to occur within two (2) months from now. The contract is therefore expected to formally commence in June 2026.
4. CHALLENGES
The project area currently hosts freight transport operators, Kigogo Market, and garages that lack permanent infrastructure but operate within the project site. For the project to begin, all these businesses must be relocated to other areas so they can continue their operations. The project requests the Dar es Salaam Regional Government to assist in identifying alternative sites to be equipped with basic infrastructure in order to facilitate the relocation of these businesses and enable them to resume their activities.