Business between South Sudan and other east African countries downstream is expected to become much easier when Uganda completes construction of a modern logistics hub just closer to the border with its northern neighbour.
Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni is expected in Gulu district in Northern Uganda to grace the ground-breaking of the €7.76M Gulu Logistics Hub and the €47.6M Tororo Gulu Railway rehabilitation.
According to the design, Gulu Logistics Hub will consist of Custom Offices, Container Cleaning & repair, Gate Complex, Railway Siding, Vehicle Holding Area and Traffic Flows, Perimeter Walls, Access Road, Weigh in Motion Bridge, Container Freight Station(CFS), Administration Complex and others.
The European Commission in Uganda said, “We are funding the projects with the government of Uganda, the United Kingdom through Trade Mark East Africa to reinstate the railway and improve logistics efficiency.”
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During the four-year military campaign led by Museveni who deposed President Militon Obote, the locomotive railway line was destroyed and looted causing a devastating injury to Uganda’s economy which resulted in high transportation costs for both goods and services. Museveni’s government has only been focused on road transport that is extremely costly for business.
The Gulu Logistics Hub will serve the trade corridors of Kampala, Gulu, Elegu/Nimule, Juba Trade Corridor and Gulu – Packwach Goli,Padea,Lia,Vura DRC Trade Corridor. It is expected to significantly reduce barriers to trade for northern Uganda and her neighbors particularly South Sudan, eastern DR Congo and parts of north western Kenya.
Damali Ssali , the Country Director representing Trade Mark East Africa in Uganda said earlier that the significance of this facility is trade development; working as a goods and cargo store for Northern Uganda, West Nile, South Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo.
The site was handed over to the contractor on 21st February 2020 and construction commenced in May 2020. The first phase focuses on establishment of a large portion of the hard infrastructure required and is envisaged to be completed by mid-2021.
Original article on Taarifa Rwanda