Designs. Artistic impression of Kampala-Jinja Expressway at Kinawataka, Kampala.
Government and the African Development Bank (AfDB) have singed a $229.5m financing facility for the Kampala-Jinja Expressway.
The
Expressway, which is a Public Private Partnership (PPP), seeks to ease
traffic as well as facilitate faster movement of goods and services.
The
project, according to AfDB, is expected to create 1,500 jobs during the
construction phase and 250 jobs during the operational phase.
Speaking
during the signing in Kampala yesterday, Mr Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan,
the AfDB country manager, said the $229.5m will support the first phase
of the project, which consists mainly of an urban expressway stretching
through the Kampala southern urban bypass (18 km) and a 35 km road from
Kampala to Namagunga along the Kampala-Jinja Mainline.
“The
project is expected to create significant [number of] jobs in the
economic corridor (Entebbe-Kampala-Jinja [and] is expected to boost the
local construction market through locally sourced materials and labour,”
he said.
The project is also expected to support trade and
investment, movement of goods and services and reduction in traffic
congestion. It will also seek to promote local content with at least 30
per cent of the project works subcontracted to Ugandan companies.
AfDB currently has a commitment of about $1.9b in ongoing projects in Uganda spread in both government and the private sector.
Finance
Minister Matia Kasija, said AfDB is currently Uganda’s second largest
multilateral financier, contributing about 20 per cent of financing to
Uganda’s development projects.
The Kampala-Jinja Expressway, he said, is expected to ease traffic and increase volume of trade.
However, Mr Kasaija said, there was need for Uganda National Roads Authority to efficiently and effectively implement the project because it was long overdue.
moketch@ug.nationmedia.com
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