The board of directors of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) has approved a loan of US$109m awarded to the government of Uganda. The funds will be channeled into the financing of the Road Sector Support Project V which is part of the National Development Plan (NDP) and the country`s vision 2040.
Amadou Oumarou said that through the project, the African Development Bank is addressing a demand for the provision of good quality and reliable transport infrastructure needed by Uganda for its socio-economic development and poverty reduction.
The Road Sector Support Project (RSSP) V roads are located in the south-western and eastern part of Uganda. The outcomes of the project are reduction in transport costs; increased mobility; improved access to economic and social facilities; provision of clean water to households and increase in income of women vendors on the roadside markets. The project will contribute to poverty reduction by improving household incomes and well-being through increased access to markets and social services.
The upgraded roads will also support cross border trade and regional integration by linking western Uganda with Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and eastern Uganda with Kenya at the border of Ishasha and Lwakhakha respectively. The roads will also support the tourism activities at Queen Elizabeth National Park (QENP) and Mount Elgon National Parks.
The project conforms to the key development policies of the AfDB and its assistance strategy to Uganda. It is in line with the AfDB’s 2011-2015 Results Based Country Strategy Paper (CSP) that focuses on infrastructure for development and increased agriculture productivity. The CSP is closely aligned to the NDP that includes infrastructure as one of the five pillars. This is in line with the Bank’s Ten-Year Strategy (2013-2022), which prioritizes support to infrastructure development as one of the key areas for the AfDB’s future assistance.
