Tanzania’s University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) will soon have the biggest library in Africa.
President John Magufuli on Thursday laid the foundation stone for the construction of the new library at the UDSM, to be built at a cost of about $40 million, funded by the Chinese government.
President Magufuli said the project had come at the right time as his government was working hard to improve the country’s education standards.
Once completed, the state-of-the-art facility will accommodate 2,600 students at a single sitting, and will occupy 20,000 square metres.
The library will be fully equipped with over 800,000 books for use by the university’s students.
Former president Jakaya Kikwete is the chancellor of the university.
He appreciated efforts by the Chinese government to fund various development projects around the country.
Chinese ambassador to Tanzania Lyu Youqing commended President Magufuli’s speedy transformation of the East African nation, which aims to fulfil the Development Vision 2025, that would see the country develop into a middle class economy.
