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By Correspondences, Arusha
Tanzania’s Road Fund Executive Director, Rashid Kalimbaga, has been elected president of the African Road Maintenance Funds Association (ARMFA), taking over from Cameroon’s Essaie Mousa, whose term has ended.
Speaking after the handover, Tanzania’s Minister of Works, Abdallah Ulega, said the leadership transition marked an important moment for collective reflection on the future of transport infrastructure management across Africa.
He said road transport remains the backbone of economic transformation on the continent, as it is the most widely used mode for moving both goods and passengers.
According to Ulega, the role of road transport in driving economic change in Tanzania and across Africa depends on the development and proper maintenance of road infrastructure.
He said decisions taken at the national level contribute significantly to the African Union’s Agenda 2063, “The Africa We Want,” and to the success of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which aims to create a single market of 1.3 billion people.
“The goal of AfCFTA relies heavily on the quality of road transport services across African countries, since more than 80% of goods are moved by road,” Ulega said.
He described it as an honour for Tanzania to assume the leadership of ARMFA, whose mission is to bring together road maintenance funds across Africa to share experience, best practices, and technology.
Kalimbaga said the association’s main objective is to ensure that roads across Africa are well-maintained and passable to facilitate free trade within and between African countries.
Mussa Natty, chair of the Tanzania Road Fund Board, said leadership rotation has been a valued tradition since ARMFA was established in 2003, contributing to the organisation’s vitality, innovation, and resilience in fulfilling its mandate.
