Tanzanian Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa on Sunday launched the Rural and Urban Agency (TARURA) aimed at improving transport in rural areas across the East African nation.

Majaliwa said that the agency will help improve roads networks in rural areas, hence improving transport services for rural communities.

"This agency will make farmers easily transport their agricultural goods to the country's major markets, hence spur the economy," Majaliwa said during the launch of the agency in the country's capital Dodoma.

He explained: "This move will also reduce the price of food crops and industrially produced goods as the transport charges will also be reduced."

The premier further said the agency will also transform people's lives in Tanzania, the second largest economy in the East African Community and the 12th largest in Africa.

"We are very optimistic that large part of the country will be accessible, making the government delivers social services to its people," he said.

One challenge facing the new agency is corruption, which used to cripple rural road projects, according to Tanzania's premier.

He asked local government authorities to ensure all funds allocated for roads in their respective areas be spent as planned.

George Simbachawene, Tanzania's Minister of State in the President's Office (Regional Administration and Local Government), described TARURA as an important tool that would stimulate country's socio-economic development.

He also said that the new agency will transform the country's agricultural sector which employs more than 80 percent of the population.

(Xinhua News Agency July 2, 2017)