Tanzanian Minister of Public Works, Transport and Communications Isaack Kamwelwe (right to the podium) attends the stone-laying ceremony of the PAPU Building in Arusha on January 17 (WWW.UPAP-PAPU.AFRICA)

The Tanzanian city of Arusha is seeing a new addition to its skyline. Residents in the northern city are welcoming a new 17-story construction built by Chinese company Beijing Construction Engineering Group Co. (BCEGC).

"The magnificent 17-floor skyscraper, being constructed by a Chinese company, will be the tallest and most beautiful building in our city," said Shaban Mukota, a councilor in Arusha.

The building belongs to the Pan African Postal Union (PAPU) and is a joint venture project of the Arusha-based continental postal body, the Tanzanian Government and Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA).

The PAPU headquarters will consist of offices and rooms to rent, with construction commencing on January 17, the date of its 40th anniversary.

Isack Kamwelwe, Minister for Works, Transport and Communications, together with TCRA senior officials, handed over the land at Sekei Ward in Arusha for construction on January 6.

Job opportunities

While speaking at the handover ceremony, Kamwelwe said the land on which the building was being constructed was donated by the late President of Tanzania Julius Nyerere over 30 years ago.

"At last, construction work of the building to house PAPU has started. It will provide opportunities for employment during and after the construction. I call on all people and local authorities to support the project," said Kamwelwe.

He said the building is an essential strategy in modernizing postal activities. Postal corporations will not live up to the anniversary's theme of being partners for financial and regional integration in Africa, should they fail to embrace modernization, especially through modern structures and ICT, said Kamwelwe.

BCEGC Project Manager Li Liang said that his company is up to the task. He thanked PAPU and Tanzanian Government for being awarded the contract.

"We will ensure that the project will be completed in two and a half years [and] before the end of 2023, it will be opened," he said.

According to the contractors, over 2,000 people will be employed both as skilled and unskilled labor.

Arusha engineering consultant Patrick Molobo said that apart from employing many locals, the project will also provide a market for food vendors in the area, who will earn more by providing meals for the influx of workers.

Molobo advised local workers to learn construction skills from the Chinese while they were on the job.

"The experience I have of Chinese engineers is that they are not selfish. In all the projects they carry out in Tanzania, and Africa at large, many local people acquire construction knowledge which they later use to earn a living."

Molobo said that since most of the materials for construction are to be purchased locally, many Tanzanian businessmen who deal in construction material like sand are going to benefit.

A landlord in the vicinity of the buildind, Esther Nyambu, said that she will benefit from the Chinese who will be renting her houses and compound.

"I am happy because I am likely to benefit from the Chinese workers who are going to construct the building. Some brokers have approached me and told me that they are looking for houses to be rented by Chinese workers going to construct the PAPU building. They also want to rent my compound so that they can store some of their equipment there," said Nyambu.

Contracts flourish

PAPU Assistant General Secretary Kalawole Aduleju said they would meet 60 percent of the construction costs while the TCRA will pay the rest.

The building will have several structures including conference halls and offices and is expected to cost $20 million, according to Aduleju.

Apart from construction jobs, Aduleju said that after completion of the building, many locals will be employed to work in the offices, especially at lower levels like cleaning and maintenance.

PAPU's main objective is to coordinate all activities aimed at developing postal services on the African continent. It is an example of Pan-Africanism and was established in January 1980 as a specialized agency of the then Organization of African Unity - the precursor to the African Union - after a postal conference held in Arusha. It is one of the several regional and international organizations with permanent headquarters in Arusha, with others including the East African Community and its affiliated institutions.

Pan-Africanism is a worldwide movement that aims to encourage and strengthen bonds of solidarity between all indigenous and diaspora ethnic groups of African descent. Based on a common goal dating back to the Atlantic slave trade, the movement extends beyond continental Africans with a substantial support base among the African diaspora in the Caribbean, Latin America, the United States, Canada and Europe.

This is not the first time Chinese companies have won big construction contracts in Tanzania. In 2018, four Chinese companies were awarded contracts to build roads worth $313 million in the country. The 432 km of road constructions are expected to be completed in the next three years.

The China Geo-Engineering Corp. is working on the 108-km road from Usesula to Komaga at a cost of $70.21 million; China Wu Yi Co. is building 106 km from Komanga to Kasinde, while the 67-km road from Mbinga to Mbamba Bay is being built by China Henan International Cooperation Group Co. at a cost of $57.32 million. The China Railway Seventh Group Co. is working on the Kasinde to Mpanda road at a cost of $59.14 million.

Last year, Tanzania Government signed a $265-million contract with two Chinese contractors for the construction of 3.2-km long bridge across Lake Victoria. The China Civil Engineering Construction Co. and the China Railway 15th Bureau Group are building a bridge over the Gulf of Mwanza in the southern shore of the lake between the settlements of Kigongo and Busisi.

In September 2019, Tanzanian President John Magufuli and Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni inaugurated the Mwalimu Nyerere Foundation (MNF) Building built by China Railway Construction Engineering Group (CRCEG) in Dar es Salaam. Both presidents commended CRCEG for putting up the magnificent structure. The 30-story building is a cooperative project of CRCEG, MNF and International Finance Corp., with a total investment of $150 million.

Pan African Movement Youth Wing Secretary William Kakaire said his members are happy to be associated with China in construction projects.

"Everywhere you go in Africa, you will find Chinese companies constructing roads, bridges, buildings and factories. They are our friends and partners," he said.

(Reporting from Tanzania)

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