He therefore ordered the Road Fund Board to conduct serious audit to establish whether there was value for money spent on the projects and if misappropriation was realized action should be taken.
In 2014, the African Development Bank (AfDB), in its report, noted that Tanzania’s geographical advantage as a regional trade gateway and logistical hub in East Africa was being eroded by the deteriorating state of its infrastructure.
The report titled ‘Opening the gates: How the port of Dar es Salaam can transform Tanzania’ and authored by Jacques Morisset, the lead economist for Tanzania, Burundi and Uganda, stated that Tanzania’s economic growth, efficiency and competitiveness were being hampered by inadequate transport infrastructure.
Similar sentiments were echoed by the minister yesterday, saying poor road construction in the country caused the government a lot of money losses and retarded economic growth.
Speaking at an event to lay a foundation stone for the construction of the Road Fund Board office here, the minister warned the board that if it allowed poor construction of roads and other projects they would not be doing justice to Tanzanians.
“I hereby urge the board to conduct serious audit on road projects in the country to see if money spent is worth the work done,” he noted, adding that the government had promised to improve all roads in the country.
Mbarawa noted that construction of roads needed a lot of money but the challenge was to ensure money availed for the projects was spent wisely.
He said that the government’s ambition to have an industrial economy could not be realized without improving both road and rail infrastructure.
But speaking about the board’s decision to build its own office, the minister said it was progress in the right direction and the decision to have the building in Dodoma was in accordance with government plan to move to Dodoma.
He also expressed satisfaction with how the construction was being undertaken. The minister noted that it was a good thing to involve local contractors in the multibillion-shilling project.
“The decision reached by the board to give the work to local contractor is aimed at empowering local contractors to help contribute in building the nation,” he said.
Speaking earlier, Road Fund Board Chairperson Dr James Wanyancha said that upon completion of the building, the board would save Sh42 million in rent that was currently baing paid to the Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority (TCRA) where they were accommodated.
He said the decision to have the board’s head office in Dodoma was made in 2014 and constriction work of the five-flour building started in September the same year and was expected to end in August, this year.
“As we all know, the government plans to move to Dodoma. We have also decided not to be left behind and took the lead in having the board’s office in the capital city,” said Dr Wanyancha.
He termed the move as historic, given that most government departments and ministries were still in Dar es Salaam.
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