IGAD Member States Debate 3000Km Kampala to Djibouti Road Progress

A high-level audience of non-state actors specialized in environmental and social impact matters from the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) member states have started a two days meeting in Entebbe to discuss the progress of 2,725 road from Kampala to Djibouti.

The multibillion dollar IGAD Corridor under Regional Infrastructure Master Plan runs from Djibouti Port (Djibouti) through Addis-Ababa (Ethiopia), then to Juba (South Sudan), terminating in Kampala (Uganda). It has 8 sections including Kampala- Nimule 442km, Nimule- Juba, 192km, Juba- Kapoeta 218km, Kapoeta-Raad 278km, Raad- Jimma 329km, Jimma- Addis Ababa 351km, Addis Ababa Galafi 705km and Galafi- Djibouti 190km.

The IGAD Director of Economic Cooperation and Social Development, Mr. ElSadiq Abdalla said most segments of the Corridor have been developed while the residual ones are at various stages of preparation.

“The road link from Kapoeta in South Sudan to Raad on the border between South Sudan and Ethiopia is the only section not designed and tarmacked along the Corridor,” said ElSadiq.

He said the corridor running through the four countries has immense regional strategic importance.

“Enhancement of facilities along the corridor will facilitate the easier movement of goods and people within the Eastern Africa region and particularly between the corridor countries of Djibouti, Ethiopia, South Sudan and Uganda,” he said.

IGAD obtained funds from African Development Bank (AfDB) towards feasibility studies, detailed engineering designs, environmental and social impact assessment to upgrade the existing gravel road segment (278 km) joining Kapoeta in South Sudan to Raad at the border between South Sudan and Ethiopia, and the construction of two One-Stop Border Posts (OSBP) at Djibouti/Ethiopian and Ethiopian/South Sudan borders respectively.

The said-activities also include the development of a legal and regulatory framework for OSBPs operation. Trade Mark East Africa undertook an OSBP study at the South Sudan- Uganda (Nimule-Elegu) border.

The studies commenced in February 2016 and completed in December 2018.The total cost of the studies undertaken to provide the IGAD Secretariat and partner Governments with sufficient information for decision making on the best technical, economic, and socio-environmental option of upgrading and construction of the missing road link and OSBPs was USD 4,057,050.

IPE Global development consultant Jamie Simpson, said the Kapoeta – Boma – Raad OSBP has the present net value (NPV) of USD$165m with projected benefit cost ratio (BCR) of 2.042 and economic internal rate return of 17.3%.

Galafi (Ethiopia and Djibouti) OSBP total Benefit stream is USD 859.396 million from the total investment of USD 468.201million at the resultant benefit to cost ratio of 1.84.

Raad (Ethiopia and South Sudan) OSBP total benefit stream is projected to generate USD 491.084m from the total construction cost of USD 442.217m. The resultant benefit to cost ratio is 1.11