Bukasa Inland Port
Bukasa Inland Port is a planned inland port in Uganda.[1]
Bukasa Inland Port | |
---|---|
Location | |
Country | |
Location | Bukasa, Kira Town, Wakiso District |
Coordinates | 00°17′23″N 32°40′14″E |
Details | |
Type of harbor | Natural/Artificial |
Location
The port would be located along the northern shores of Lake Victoria, on approximately 500 acres (202 ha) in the neighborhood of Bukasa in Wakiso District, approximately 16 kilometres (10 mi), by road, south-east of the central business district of Kampala, the capital and largest city of Uganda.[2] When fully functional, the port is expected to occupy a bigger land area.[3] Efforts to secure more land are underway.[4]
In February 2019, the Daily Monitor reported that the project area had been increased to 465 hectares (1,149 acres).[5]
Overview
When completed the inland port is designed to handle up to 5.2 million tonnes of freight annually.[3] The port will facilitate movement of goods from the Tanzanian ports of Dar es Salaam and Tanga, via rail to the port of Mwanza on Lake Victoria. Barges would then bring the cargo over the lake to Bukasa. This would reduce Uganda's near-total dependence on the port of Mombasa, Kenya.[6]
Funding
Two German financial institutions agreed to lend US$48 million towards the construction of this port. The Uganda government will contribute US$8.5 million to this project. The funding for the construction of the port is as depicted in the table below:[7]
Rank | Name of Funder | Dollars Funded (Millions) | Percentage Funding |
---|---|---|---|
1 | European Export and Trade Bank | ||
2 | Commerzbank | ||
3 | Government of Uganda | ||
Total | |||
Totals may be off slightly, due to rounding.
Construction
As of February 2018, GAUF Engineering Company, a German firm that is performing the consultancy work for the construction of the port, is finalizing the master design of the development. In July 2018, dredging of the swamps is expected to commence. Physical construction of the administration unit and the shipping facilities called Roll-on/Roll-off (RoRo) is expected to commence in June 2019, and last until April 2022. More development and expansion will continue until 2030.[1] Construction of the initial phase is expected to last three years.[8]
In February 2019, the National Environment Management Authority of Uganda (NEMA), approved the construction of this inland port. Construction will be phased.[5]
- Phase I
The first phase will involve construction of the port, administration jetty, free trade zone, shunting yard, a two-berth multipurpose terminal and a two berth Roro terminal.
- Phase II
The second phase, expected to be complete by 2030, will extend the multipurpose terminal by additional two berths to a total quay length of 540 metres (1,772 ft).
- Phase III
The third phase, to be completed by 2040, will extend the quay length of the multipurpose terminal to 960 metres (3,150 ft). All three phases will require the dredging Lake Victoria.[5]
References
- Misairi Thembo Kahungu (15 February 2018). "Construction of Bukasa Inland Port starts next year". Daily Monitor. Kampala. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
- Globefeed.com (2 August 2016). "Distance between Post Office Building, Kampala Road, Kampala, Central Region, Uganda and Kirombe, Kampala, Central Region, Uganda". Globefeed.com. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
- 256BN (25 April 2016). "Bukasa Inland Port secures funding". 256 Business News (256BN). Retrieved 2 August 2016.
- Musisi, Frederic (26 February 2013). "Bukasa Inland Port survey scheduled for next month". Daily Monitor. Kampala. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
- Tajuba, Paul (25 February 2019). "Nema okays Kampala port construction". Daily Monitor. Kampala. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
- Biryabarema, Elias (12 February 2013). "Uganda to build inland port to reduce reliance on Kenya". Reuters.com. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
- Asiimwe, Dicta (30 April 2016). "Kampala borrows $48m to build inland port on shores of Lake Victoria". The EastAfrican. Nairobi. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
- Vision Reporter (12 February 2013). "Uganda to build inland port to reduce reliance on Kenya". New Vision. Kampala. Retrieved 15 February 2018.