Minister Musasizi Secures €110.5 Million for Kitgum–Kidepo Road

By Wilfred Arinda Nshekantebirwe

Finance Minister Henry Musasizi has secured a €110.5 million (UGX 481 billion) financing package for the construction of the Kitgum–Kidepo Road, signing the agreement alongside Standard Chartered Bank Uganda Chief Executive Officer Sanjay Rughani on Tuesday in a ceremony attended by senior government officials and diplomats.

Speaking at the signing of the financing agreement on Tuesday, Minister Musasizi said the financing package reflects a shared commitment between Government and its partners to improving connectivity and unlocking the economic potential of Northern Uganda and the Karamoja sub-region, two areas long considered peripheral to the country’s main economic corridors.

The 115.8-kilometre road, the Minister said, will improve connectivity, cut transport costs and strengthen regional trade. He added that the project will also support the rollout of the Government’s Area Transformation and Modernisation Strategy (ATMS), an initiative aimed at driving development in Uganda’s less industrialised regions.

“Today’s signing is not simply about financing a road. It is about investing in Uganda’s future. It is about connecting farmers to markets, industries to raw materials, tourists to destinations and businesses to opportunity. Together with our partners, we are laying another foundation for a more productive, competitive and prosperous Uganda,” Musasizi said.

Beyond improved connectivity, Hon Musasizi said the road will underpin a series of major investments already taking shape in the region. Chief among them is the Yaobai Cement and Clinker Factory in Moroto, a project valued at more than USD 300 million, which is expected to create jobs and stimulate local industry once fully operational.

The road is also expected to ease access to Kidepo Valley National Park, one of Uganda’s most remote but scenic tourist attractions, and to complement the ongoing development of the USD 72 million Kidepo International Airport, a facility designed to open up the far north-eastern corner of the country to both domestic and international travellers.

Musasizi said the combined effect of the road, the airport and the cement factory would significantly strengthen tourism, trade and investment across Karamoja and Northern Uganda, regions that have historically lagged behind the rest of the country in infrastructure development.

For his part, Standard Chartered Bank Uganda CEO Sanjay Rughani said the signing prooved the bank’s continued commitment to supporting Government priorities that are both economically viable and developmentally impactful.

“The Kitgum–Kidepo Road is a strategic investment that reinforces our long-term role as a trusted Corporate and Investment Bank,” Rughani said.

The ceremony was witnessed by the Minister of Works and Transport, Fred Byamukama; the Minister of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, Sanjay Tanna; the Minister of Tourism, Tom Butime; and the British High Commissioner to Uganda, Lisa Chesney, among other senior officials, underlining the cross-sectoral significance attached to the project.

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