The government of Uganda is gearing up to utilize case studies from modest road infrastructure projects in new regional cities and municipalities to enhance project procurement procedures at the local government level.

Dr. Isaac Mutenyo, the Programme Coordinator of the Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure Development (USMID), made this announcement during a lessons learned conference held in Jinja City. The conference brought together mayors, engineers, and planners from various local governments involved in the $360 million World Bank-funded project.

Dr. Mutenyo highlighted that despite some shortcomings, data indicates that approximately 141 kilometers of urban road networks have been incorporated into the local government infrastructure assets across ten new cities and municipalities.

The ongoing meeting, which aims to document lessons learned from the World Bank-funded infrastructure program, is also addressing concerns about the unnecessary elongation of projects, seen as a burden on taxpayers.

"We have observed that procurement processes consume a significant amount of time. If it takes six months to procure a contract for a 3-kilometer project in a 5-year program, one can imagine the challenges for a 10-kilometer project. This is a lesson we are determined to improve," remarked Isaac Mutenyo, the USMID-AFR Project Coordinator, in an interview with NTV Uganda.

The Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure Programme, implemented by selected local governments, has successfully expanded urban road networks by 141 kilometers nationwide, according to shared data.

David Kyasanku, the Town Clerk of Arua City, noted the positive impact of these road projects on local economies, stating, "We are witnessing improvements in local revenues. The introduction of new roads with lighting has transformed everything."

However, there are still significant gaps in road project investments aimed at enhancing the living and working conditions in regional cities and municipalities.

"We encountered minimal interference and challenges during implementation, except for delays caused by contractors. We hope that these issues will be addressed in the upcoming projects," commented Patrick Ongom, the Mayor of Apac Municipality, in an interview with NTV Uganda.

In response to the rapid urbanization and development challenges, the Ministry of Lands, Housing, and Urban Development emphasized the need for every city and municipal unit to develop new physical plans to effectively manage development and mitigate urbanization impacts.

Joseph Padde, the Commissioner of Urban Development in the Ministry of Lands, highlighted the government's proactive measures to address urbanization challenges, stating, "Urbanization brings numerous challenges. That's why we are implementing interventions to prepare the government and our people for these changes."

The World Bank has also announced plans to unveil a new loan line exceeding $700 million to support infrastructure development in ten additional locations once lending limitations are eased.