President Jakaya Kikwete

President Jakaya Kikwete on Saturday requested the African Development Bank (AfDB) to continue supporting Tanzania's economic growth initiatives.

He made the appeal after meeting with AfDB regional managing director Mary Consolata Muduuli for official talks.

During their talks held at the State House in Dar es Salaam, Muduuli, who is AfDB's MD for Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Seychelles, Rwanda, Ethiopia and Eritrea, was flanked by the Bank's representative in the country, Tonia Kandiero, and advisor to the MD, Salma Salum.

President Kikwete thanked the AfDB for numerous development supports it has rendered to Tanzania.

The Bank started its activities in Tanzania in1971 and by the end of last year it had supported the country in a total of 121 projects, worth about USD 3 million covering such sectors as infrastructure, transport, agriculture, water, social services, electricity, industries, mining and communications.

Since March this year, the AfDB has approved 16 projects, 14 of which their implementation have already started.

One of the two projects yet to take off is on the construction of electricity distribution infrastructure in the regions of Iringa and Shinyanga.

In 16 projects, 34 per cent would involve road construction, 13 per cent are related to agriculture, 12.5 per cent will be on water projects, and 11.2 per cent on energy, health and education sectors.

The other sectors will share the remaining 18.7 per cent of the total value of the projects.

One of the roads expected to be constructed during the implementation of the 16 projects is the Iringa to Dodoma highway, which is about 260 kilometres in length, and the other one is the Tunduru to Namtumbo, a 193-kilometre long, road.

This week, plans to revive road projects that had stalled, including that of Dodoma to Babati and Mangaka to Tunduru, would be tabled before the AfDB Managing Board for discussion and consideration.