STORY: Magufuli Bridge, a new lifeline for Tanzanian communities and economy
SHOOTING TIME: May 2 & June 15, 2024
DATELINE: June 16, 2024
LENGTH: 0:02:26
LOCATION: MWANZA, Tanzania
CATEGORY: ECONOMY/SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the construction sites
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): QIN RONG, Vice project manager of the Magufuli Bridge construction
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Swahili): SAMIR RAMADHANI, Surveyor of the Magufuli Bridge project
4. SOUNDBITE 3 (Swahili): KENNETH KAYOMBO, Resident in Kigongo, Tanzania

STORYLINE:

Residents in Kigongo, Tanzania's northwestern Mwanza region, have yearned to see the completion of the Magufuli Bridge across Lake Victoria, the largest freshwater lake in Africa.

Named after former Tanzanian President John Pombe Magufuli, who initiated its construction, the bridge connects the Misungwi and Sengerema districts in the Mwanza region and also provides a crucial link between the region and neighboring countries Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda.

The 3.2-km-long, 28-meter-wide bridge, a project under China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), is constructed by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) and China Railway.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): QIN RONG, Vice project manager of the Magufuli Bridge construction
"Magufuli Bridge sits across Lake Victoria, Africa's largest freshwater lake. Upon completion, it would be the longest extra-dosed cable-stayed bridge in Africa. The construction will be completed by the end of 2024, 90 percent of which has been completed until now. The construction of Magufuli Bridge has extensively boosted local employment and helped train about 1,300 local bridge construction workers, such as welders, bridge survey engineers, etc. The bridge will solve the travel problem that has afflicted numerous residents on both sides of the river by cutting the travel time to 4 minutes from the previous 2 hours."

SOUNDBITE 2 (Swahili): SAMIR RAMADHANI, Surveyor of the Magufuli Bridge project
"This project helps improve my career and increase my working efficiency. If there is another project for building bridges, I think I will be qualified for the job.
Also, because of this job, I have been able to provide essential needs for my family, and my family is benefiting from it."

SOUNDBITE 3 (Swahili): KENNETH KAYOMBO, Resident in Kigongo, Tanzania
"The residents in these areas usually spend two to three hours commuting from one side of the lake to the other, when they want to get their life necessities and carry out other economic activities.
But after the completion of the bridge, we will spend only four minutes, which will save plenty of time, increase economic activities and enable us to get access to our basic needs within a short time. Also, the bridge will ensure our travel safety because the bridge is much safer than the ferry."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Mwanza, Tanzania.
(XHTV)