Lake Victoria Safety and Rescue Infrastructure to be Enhanced by New Maritime Center in Mwanza
The Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC) is significantly enhancing safety on Lake Victoria with the construction of a cutting-edge maritime rescue and coordination center in Mwanza, Tanzania. This initiative, costing Sh. 300 million, is a part of the Multinational Lake Victoria Transport and Communication Project aimed at reducing the high frequency of fatal accidents on Africa’s largest lake. Over the last two years alone, Lake Victoria has seen 63 lives lost to maritime disasters.
This new establishment will see the setting up of Search and Rescue Stations (SARS) across the lake’s shores in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. The initiative has received financial backing from the Africa Development Bank (ADB), with expectations to complete the project by December. These centers will be well equipped with speed boats and medical facility boats to boost emergency response efforts effectively.
Dr. Bwire, representing LVBC, expressed the commission’s unwavering commitment to improving lake safety, highlighted by the implementation of a dedicated emergency telephone code (110) for rescue coordination. Furthermore, the project will include a focus on capacity building for national and regional search and rescue teams and the development of a maritime training facility in Uganda, further underlining the East Africa Community (EAC)’s dedication to enhancing maritime safety and the blue economy. Excitingly, the project also encompasses expanding research on Lake Victoria, promising advancements in weather forecasting and navigation safety.
The recent 22nd Sectoral Council of Ministers meeting underscored the collaborative effort among EAC member states towards ensuring a safer Lake Victoria, marking a significant stride in regional maritime safety and economic development.
