Rehabilitation of 139 kilometres of roads to kick off in Northern Uganda as Minister Beatrice Akello urges locals to invest in agriculture

Minister of State for Northern Uganda Affairs Hon Beatrice Akello Akori, has asked people in Northern Uganda to make use of the upgraded roads across the region to increase their household incomes.

Akello was speaking to Journalists after the Ministry of Local Government signed contracts for the rehabilitation of 139 kilometres of district and community access roads across nine districts under the Rural Development for Food Security in Northern Uganda (RUDSEC) Project. Construction is expected to commence next week following the official handover of project sites.

The road rehabilitation will enhance accessibility, connectivity and mobility across the districts of Lamwo, Agago, Pader, Dokolo, Lira, Oyam, Serere, Soroti and Kaberamaido, strengthening local service delivery while supporting agricultural production, commercialization and access to markets.

“The government has injected a lot of money in the region that is the reason development is at a faster rate.We want the people in the region to access markets to increase their household incomes for economic transformation,” said Akello adding that they will continue mobilizing the ‘wanainchi’ to shift from subsistence agriculture to commercial farming as a way of improving household incomes.

Akori added that road infrastructure boosts economic transformation because the produce people get from the farms will be transported to the markets and northern Uganda is a food basket for Uganda because they have a big chunk of land for production.

 ‘’Government has injected a lot of money in northern Uganda through various wealth creation programmes . I encourage locals to embrace these programmes like PDM , Emyooga , Youth Livelihood program among others because now these roads will help in boosting agricultural activities. Therefore these roads being constructed in the region will boost social economic transformation through a good road network ’’, she added.

Speaking at the contract signing recently , the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Local Government, Ben Kumumanya, emphasized that reliable road infrastructure is critical to Uganda’s socio-economic transformation.

“Agri-industrialization is central to Uganda’s journey towards middle-income status. That transformation begins with motorability and accessibility through roads, which facilitate trade, service delivery and other development activities,” he said.

The rehabilitation works will cover the following roads:Agago–Kalongo–Lomoi Road (Section A) – 15kmAgago–Kalongo–Lomoi Road (Section B) – 14.9kmLamwo–Corner Ogwec–Tenten Road – 21.6kmPuranga–Ogonyo–Achola Stream Road in Pader – 18kmAgweng–Barlonyo and Akano–Lwala roads in Lira – 16.3kmAlwimac–Awiri–Asalim Road in Dokolo – 12.7kmOchero–Bugoi Road in Kaberamaido – 12.8kmAtirir–Orungo Border Road in Soroti – 13.5kmSerere Upper Shops–Akoboi and Kamod–Otimong–Akobi roads in Serere – 14.9km

The project is therefore much more than a road rehabilitation programme. It is a strategic investment in decentralisation, service delivery, local economic development and improved livelihoods, creating opportunities for farming communities to access markets, essential services and economic opportunities.

The Permanent Secretary called on the contractors to deliver high-quality infrastructure with integrity, transparency and professionalism. He urged them to work closely with the respective district local governments, ensure that surrounding communities are the first beneficiaries through local employment, and safeguard the environment throughout project implementation.

The RUDSEC Project is a rural infrastructure and agricultural development initiative implemented by the Ministry of Local Government and funded by the Government of Uganda, the German Government through KfW Development Bank. Its primary objective is to boost agricultural incomes and improve food security for smallholder farmers by improving rural infrastructure and market access