Overview:
The Italian investors also proposed establishing an academy to train Ugandans in cutting-edge railway construction and maintenance technology, ensuring skills transfer and job creation for the local workforce.
KAMPALA, UGANDA – In a significant development for Uganda’s infrastructure sector, a delegation of Italian investors, led by Ambassador Mauro Massoni, met with President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni at State House-Entebbe to discuss a multi-million dollar investment in the country’s railway sector.
The investors, representing a consortium of Italian companies, expressed interest in funding and executing the construction of a railway line from Tororo to Majanji, as well as a port at Majanji. The project, estimated to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars, aims to enhance Uganda’s transportation infrastructure and boost regional trade.
President Museveni welcomed the proposal, highlighting the potential for the railway line to cater to traffic from Northern Uganda and neighboring countries, bypassing Kampala. “That traffic doesn’t have to come to Kampala. It can go straight either to Kenya or to Tanzania,” the President said, emphasizing the project’s strategic importance.
The meeting, attended by Minister of State for Investment and Privatization Evelyn Anite, discussed the details of the investment, including the proposed route, funding, and implementation timeline. The Italian investors also proposed establishing an academy to train Ugandans in cutting-edge railway construction and maintenance technology, ensuring skills transfer and job creation for the local workforce.
The investment is expected to complement the planned Standard Gauge Railway linking Kenya to Kampala, currently under construction. The Italian-funded railway line will provide an alternative route for cargo and passenger traffic, reducing congestion and increasing efficiency in the region’s transportation network.