THE government needs to accelerate public-private partnership (PPP) arrangements in road construction owing to rising cargo volumes and chronic congestion particularly along the Dar es Salaam–Morogoro highway. MPs have declared.

Abubakar Assenga, the vice chairman of the standing committee on Infrastructure in the National Assembly, issued this appeal during a training session organised by the National Construction Council (NCC) here over the weekend.

Affirming that congestion was undermining transport efficiency and economic gains, he said that the Works ministry has to move swiftly to align road expansion with major upgrades already completed at major seaports.

He urged speeding up the construction and expansion of roads, including the Dar es Salaam–Morogoro highway, where traffic congestion has become a daily challenge for transporters and commuters.

Parliamentary sources affirmed that his remarks reflect growing pressure on trunk roads as improved port efficiency drives higher cargo throughput, leading to increased heavy truck movement along strategic trade corridors linking Dar es Salaam to the hinterland and to neighbouring countries.

Abdallah Ulega, the Works minister, underscored the economic weight of the sector, affirming that Tanzania’s road network — managed by the Tanzania National Roads Agency (Tanroads) — is valued at upwards of 34trn/-.

Construction is a strategic pillar of the national economy supporting trade flows, job creation and overall competitiveness, he said, underlining that the road infrastructure is a national asset that must be protected and expanded in line with economic growth.

Timely upgrades are essential to prevent bottlenecks that could undermine productivity, he said, while Dr Matiko Nturi, the NCC chief executive officer, said the construction industry stimulates growth across multiple sectors, enhances domestic technical capacity and accelerates technology transfer.

“An efficient construction sector strengthens supply chains, supports local contractors and ensures sustainability in infrastructure development,” he said, while lawmakers beyond expanding highways, also pressed for swift amendments to the Construction Act to prevent the construction of unsafe and substandard buildings.

The committee chairman emphasized that stricter enforcement of standards is vital to safeguard public safety and guarantee value for money in government-funded projects, where proposed reforms are expected to enhance regulatory oversight, improve contractor accountability and raise compliance benchmarks across the sector.

The MPs’ initiative comes amid concerns that significant investments in port modernisation — including efficiency gains at Dar es Salaam port — risk being diluted if road infrastructure fails to keep pace.

In recent years, improved cargo handling and streamlined clearance procedures have boosted throughput, intensifying traffic along major highways to neighbouring countries, while experts believe that the PPP frameworks could unlock private capital and technical expertise in the sector.

That would reduce the fiscal burden on the government while accelerating delivery of large-scale highway projects, especially as the government has increasingly turned to PPP models in energy and transport infrastructure.

Implementation delays and financing complexities have slowed some envisaged projects, the MPs noted, asserting that faster execution is essential to sustain economic momentum.