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Uganda Government Teams Up With World Bank to Finance Roads

Uganda Government Teams Up With World Bank to Finance Roads

From All Africa

The Government has secured technical support in order to fast-track the construction of four multibillion road projects under a public private partnership (PPP).

The finance ministry has allowed the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) to engage the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank, to be its transaction advisor for the expressway projects.

In a March 25 meeting, IFC agreed to support UNRA’s preparation for the PPP projects, said Eng. David Luyimbazi, the UNRA director of planning.

“Trademark East Africa is also going to provide oversight support to UNRA in the management of PPP preparation, procurement and implementation,” he added.

“All the arrangements will be done in three months.”

In what will be the most expensive cluster of road projects in Uganda’s history, the Government plans to follow-up construction of the $476m Kampala-Entebbe expressway launched by President Yoweri Museveni in November 2012 with four roads valued at over $1.5b (about sh3.9 trillions).

Kampala-Jinja expressway

One of the roads is the Kampala-Jinja expressway estimated at about $800m (about sh2.13 trillion). The new road will help decongest the old Kampala-Jinja road that forms part of the Trans-African highway.

Dan Alinange, the UNRA spokesperson, noted that the Government will foot compensation bills to create right-of-way for the contractor to commence works.

“We have the preliminary map and we know where the road will pass,” he says.

“The detailed and final design for the road will be completed by June 2013. After that, we will start educating people about the compensation process.”

Construction of the 80km state-of-the-art road is expected to commence in 2015. About sh200b has been earmarked for compensation of the affected people.

The new road will avoid the old Kampala-Jinja highway, starting from Kampala to Bweyogerere before taking a right direction off the existing road in Mukono town.

Upon completion, the road will be the second of its kind in Uganda after the ultra-modern 51.4km Kampala-Entebbe expressway motorists will utilise on a pay-per-use basis (toll).

Read more at allafrica.com