The government of Uganda and Japan on Friday signed a grant for sh88.6 billion project to help improve traffic control in Kampala.
Minister of Finance Matia Kasaija signed the grant aid agreement with the Japanese Ambasador Kazuaki Kameda. The grant will be spent on constructing and equipping a traffic control centre at City Hall, and improving 30 road junctions in the capital.
Minister Kasaija said the project is timely as it will help address the heavy traffic congestion in the city.
“Traffic congestion has been and still remains a challenge for sustainable urban development and therefore needs to be urgently tackled by the Government. With this project, we are comfortable that traffic congestion will reduce,” said Kasaija
The Minister attributed the challenge of congestion to rapid growth of the economy, which grew by 6% over the last two years.
The project grant is provided by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
According to JICA Chief Representative Mr Fukase Yutaka, under this project a traffic control center building will be set up at City Hall, while about 30 critical junctions will be improved with signalized intersections.
“The important characteristic of this project is that the Traffic Control Center will be the first of its kind in the East African region. I believe that the Center is going to be the model domestically and regionally. We expect that Kampala will.
Japan funded the building of the Nile Bridge, and also the Kampala Flyover Project.
