Just saw this on Lin The Fin’s Blog (Posted on the 17th May, 2010; I don’t understand how I missed the whole saga… I guess the officials did their best to keep things quiet.):
Last week presidents Jakaya Kikwete and Armando Guebuza inaugurated the long-awaited Unity Bridge that spans 720 meters over the river Ruvuma between Tanzania and Mozambique. The two countries are finally connected!
Except they are not.
During the project of spending 34 billion Tanzanian shillings ($ 24 million) nobody thought to build customs posts or roads to the bridge. It’s 165 km from the bridge to the nearest paved road in Mozambique, and 56 km to the paved roads in Tanzania. The nearest towns are Mocimboa da Praia (275 km) and Lindi (240 km).
These people built a bridge linked to nothing. It can’t have been built so suddenly that it took the Ministry of Planning by surprise. It can’t have been so low-profile that nobody noticed that it was happening. According to the Controller and Auditor General (report on financial year 2008/2009) the bridge is “useless”.
Finance minister Mustafa Mkulo says “It was unfortunate that there wasn’t adequate coordination when the project was being implemented”.
No, it’s not April fools’ day!
when will this foolishness be put to halt?