Yumbe-Manibe road upgrade project is set to benefit from a US$ 37m from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), a governmental agency chartered with assisting economic and social growth in developing countries, and the promotion of international cooperation for the government of the People’s Republic of Japan.
This is after the Japanese government agreed to make the contribution for its Ugandan counterpart in a bid to change the state of the road which is located in Yumbe District, in the Northern Region of the East African country.
“The government of Japan has decided to make this contribution to assist in the upgrade works of the 23.6km of Yumbe-Manibe road whose condition is in a bad state hampering the transportation of goods and people,” said Mr. Fukuzawa Hidemoto, the Japanese Ambassador to Uganda, during the agreement signing ceremony at the Ugandan Ministry of Finance and Economic Development offices in Kampala.
The objective of the project
The Yumbe-Manibe road project will mainly improve roads in refugee-hosting areas in the West Nile sub-region, providing access to a number of refugee settlements including Imvepi, Bidibidi, Lobule, and Palorinya settlement, and subsequently rejuvenate social and economic activities in the refugee settlements.
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According to Mr. Fukuzawa Hidemoto, the project will in part utilize the labor-based technology concept in improving the feeder roads which is intended to build skills and create employment for the refugees.
In addition to improving access and igniting social and economic activities in the refugee settlements, the road will also facilitate trade between Uganda and the neighboring Republic of South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and the Central African Republic by connecting to Koboko.
The project will be implemented by the Uganda National Roads Authority (Unra), a government agency mandated to develop and maintain the national roads network, advise the government on general roads policy, contribute to the addressing of national transport concerns, and perform certain other functions.
