On June 20, a ceremony was held in Matadi City, Democratic Republic of the Congo (hereinafter referred to as “Congolese”) to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the completion of the Matadi Bridge, which was constructed under the “Banana-Matadi Railway Transport Capacity Enhancement Project” (signed in 1974), a grant aid project. From the Congolese side, the Minister of Human Rights (Acting Prime Minister), the Deputy Minister of Transport, the Governor of the Central Congo Province, the Mayor of Matadi, and the President of the Organization for the Establishment of the Banana Kinshasa Transportation Company (OEBK) attended the ceremony, and from the Japanese side, Ambassador Hiroyuki Minami, JICA Director for Africa Naoki Yanase, JICA Congolese Office Director Hironobu Murakami and others.
The Matadi Bridge is a 722-meter-long suspension bridge over the Matadi River Port, about 150 km up the Congo River from the Atlantic Ocean, and is the only bridge that crosses the middle and lower reaches of the Congo River. The design and structural form of the bridge was adopted based on the suspension bridge form of the Shimotsui-Seto Bridge, a Honshu-Shikoku bridges under construction at the time. During the former Zairean era, banknotes with the Matadi Bridge design were issued. In addition, at the 2014 Summit of the Presidency of the African Regional Economic Community (RECs) held in New York, then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe introduced the “Seven Samurai” Japanese engineers involved in the bridge’s construction and stated that Japan continues to support the transfer of maintenance and management techniques to the next generation and that the bridge will live on for many years as a sign of friendship between the Congolese people and Japan. The bridge will live on for a long time as a sign of friendship between the Congolese people and Japan.
From 2012 to 2015, JICA implemented the “Matadi Bridge Maintenance Capacity Improvement Project,” a technical cooperation project aimed at developing a medium- to long-term bridge maintenance and operation management plan for OEBK and improving the maintenance management skills of its engineers. In addition, in 2017, through the grant assistance “Matadi Bridge Maintenance Plan”, airflow drying system equipment was introduced and contributed to the proper maintenance and management of the bridge.
Today, young engineers from OEBK continue to maintain and manage the bridge, passing on the skills they inherited from the Japanese specialists. At the 40th anniversary ceremony, the President’s Office awarded medals to four retirees who contributed to the OEBK, including engineers Andre Madiata Ndele Buba and Kalombo Mukeba Joseph, who were involved in the bridge’s maintenance for many years.
The Matadi Bridge plays an important role in land transportation, connecting the city of Matadi, the largest river port city in the country, where approximately 40% of imported cargo is unloaded, the ports of Matadi, Banana, and Boma in the Central Congo Province, and the capital Kinshasa. In addition, health and educational facilities in Matadi are concentrated on the left bank of the Congo River, and the Matadi Bridge is essential for residents on the right bank to access social services. JICA will continue to support high-quality infrastructure development and contribute to the economic growth of the Congolese people and regional stability.
© Source JICA
Auto Amazon Links: No products found.
Auto Amazon Links: No products found.