Government of Japan, Government of Uganda and United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) Partner to Rebuild Vital Bridges and Digitally Transform Bridge Infrastructure Management in Uganda
2026/2/17
12 February 2026, The Government of Japan, the Government of Uganda and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) launched a USD 6.29 million, three-year project to rebuild critical bridges and strengthen how infrastructure is managed across Uganda.
The project will reconstruct three key bridges in the West Nile sub-region —Ayi (Maracha), Kochi-2 (Koboko) and Woi (Yumbe)— and introduce an Electronic Bridge Management System, enabling engineers to monitor bridge conditions and plan maintenance for District Urban and Community Access Roads Network. The initiative targets some of the country’s most climate-vulnerable and refugee-hosting areas, benefiting more than 35,000 people directly and an estimated 1.17 million people indirectly across nine districts by improving access to health care, schools, humanitarian services and markets.
The West Nile sub-region hosts more than 810,000 refugees, including residents of the Bidibidi settlement. Failing bridges in these areas often cut communities off during heavy rains, delaying emergency care, disrupting education and limiting trade.
The project directly operationalizes Japan’s Humanitarian-Development-Peace nexus approach, supporting both refugees and host communities while strengthening trade corridors vital to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Alongside construction, 120 government engineers and officials will be trained in climate-resilient building and digital asset management to ensure national ownership and sustainability.
Funded by the people of Japan, the initiative builds on a long-standing partnership between Japan and Uganda and earlier projects such as the design and construction of Nyara Bridge, which significantly reduced travel times and improved lives for local communities and was implemented with support from UNOPS.
The project will reconstruct three key bridges in the West Nile sub-region —Ayi (Maracha), Kochi-2 (Koboko) and Woi (Yumbe)— and introduce an Electronic Bridge Management System, enabling engineers to monitor bridge conditions and plan maintenance for District Urban and Community Access Roads Network. The initiative targets some of the country’s most climate-vulnerable and refugee-hosting areas, benefiting more than 35,000 people directly and an estimated 1.17 million people indirectly across nine districts by improving access to health care, schools, humanitarian services and markets.
The West Nile sub-region hosts more than 810,000 refugees, including residents of the Bidibidi settlement. Failing bridges in these areas often cut communities off during heavy rains, delaying emergency care, disrupting education and limiting trade.
The project directly operationalizes Japan’s Humanitarian-Development-Peace nexus approach, supporting both refugees and host communities while strengthening trade corridors vital to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Alongside construction, 120 government engineers and officials will be trained in climate-resilient building and digital asset management to ensure national ownership and sustainability.
Funded by the people of Japan, the initiative builds on a long-standing partnership between Japan and Uganda and earlier projects such as the design and construction of Nyara Bridge, which significantly reduced travel times and improved lives for local communities and was implemented with support from UNOPS.