World Bank says it is wiling to resume funding key road projects in Uganda on condition that key issues it had raised with the government more than two months ago have been addressed.
The institution had suspended funding for key road projects in the country over human rights issues.
Financial assistance will see a new don in the construction of major roads in Uganda such as the much awaited 100km Kyenjojo-Kabwoya road under the Albertine Region Sustainable Development Project (ARSDP) and the 340km Tororo-Mbale-Soroti-Lira-Kamdini stretch under the North Eastern Road-Corridor Asset Management Project (NERAMP) — both vital tributaries for internal and international trade.
Also read: World Bank cancels funding for road construction projects in Uganda
According to the bank’s vice president for Africa, Mr Makhtar Diop they will work with Uganda though he did not give the specific dates to which they will be able to start the programme which is expected to be a game changer to the country’s transporting sector.
Mr Diop said the bank is “impressed by the way leadership” of the Uganda National Roads Authority (Unra) and President Museveni have taken the issues they raised seriously and pushed for recommendations “in a relatively short period of time.”
“We have seen much improvement of the way the Uganda National Roads Authority (Unra) and they way they do their job and we are happy to announce that the funding will be now open for them” he added
In September it announced withholding of more than Shs5 trillion in new lending until further notice citing the low absorption of funds by government for disbursed funds, the poorest in the region.
This is good news to Museveni’s regime which has been highly blamed for not streamlining the current transport sector .
The president however said that they will ensure that they source for more funds towards the projects.
