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MP Oboth Oboth frustrated with delays to Jinja Expressway

Artistic impression of a section of the Jinja-Kampala Expresway. PHOTO UNRA

BACKGROUND

The African Development Bank (AfDB) in Abidjan in November approved a sovereign loan of $229.5 million to Uganda to finance phase one of the Kampala-Jinja Expressway project. The financing was to reinforce Uganda’s position as a regional transit hub, supporting its ambition to propel its economy into middle-income status by 2020.

Approved by the Board of the African Development Bank on Wednesday, 31 October 2018, the loan was to support the Government’s Vision 2040 agenda. It was to co-finance, with the European Union and Agence Francaise de Developpment, $400 million which will pave the way for private sector financing of the remaining $800 million.

The financing was supposed to support Uganda’s second National Development Plan 2015-2020, which aims to strengthen the country’s competitiveness for sustainable wealth creation, inclusive growth and jobs creation. Uganda’s road rehabilitation plans are anchored on its 15-year National Transport Master Plan (NTMP 2008-2023), aimed at facilitating efficient movement of passengers and freight across the country to support growth objectives.

Total project cost is estimated at US$1.55 billion, with financing from sovereign and non- sovereign facilities.

The facility was to finance infrastructure development, project implementation support and community livelihoods improvement activities along the proposed 95-kilometre expressway.

Over 2,000 direct and indirect jobs were to be created during the construction and operational phases of the project. When completed, the Kampala-Jinja Expressway will boost national economic productivity, competitiveness, regional trade and integration. It will also alleviate congestion in and around Ugandan’s capital, Kampala and reduce travel time between the country’s two main economic hubs.

The new Jinja Bridge, where the the Express way will start

Scheduled to be managed over the next 30 years (including an five-year construction period) under a concession-based Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement, the project comprises of two phases: the Kampala-Jinja Mainline Expressway and Kampala Southern Urban Bypass (KSB), collectively known as the Kampala-Jinja Expressway PPP Project.

The project also has a human capital development component, focused on skills development for Uganda and East Africa. By 2028, over 200 PPP specialists (gender inclusive) are expected to have been trained to work in the region’s transport sector, under a graduate / professional work placement scheme

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SOURCE: Parliament of Uganda Media

2 comments

  1. Independent you have a better journalistic choice of words and what I said about the Jinja-Kampala express highway is better captured by your report than any other. You went a head to offer details and contextualised .Prose and poetry comes in handy in understanding my own contribution at Parliament.It was not sexist as exaggerated story. Thanks again for your thoughtfulness and professionalism.

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