By Ayub Ahmed
In Uganda, like most developing countries, the backbone of the economy has been primarily based on agriculture, with quasi-subsistence agriculture being the largest provider of employment. A significant number of people remain below the poverty line due to what President Museveni calls “working for the stomach alone” (okukolera ekidda kyoonka, tic me ici keken, Ateso-akoru lu akoik bon, Lugbara-azi-ngaza aleni.) using the different Ugandan dialects.
A working paper by Douglas Gollin and Richard Rogerson in 2010 titled, Agriculture, roads, and economic development in Uganda used a static general equilibrium model to conclude that, lack of transportation infrastructure plays a significant role in promoting a large subsistence agriculture sector. The idea that poor transportation infrastructure might play a vital role in the development process features prominently in many policy discussions.
By 2010, according to the working paper above, little had yet progressed in developing and expanding the national highways in the model of all-weather road upgrades to bituminous standard, motorable marram roads, and improved bridges and structures, among others to aid and ease the cost of doing business for the agriculture sector. This meant that the rural markets had the titanic struggle of high transportation and transaction costs. They could not efficiently market their products while the urban non-agricultural population could not get the food they required, or if they did, it would not be at favourable prices.
The Government of Uganda, through the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA), understood that the buck stops at its doors and hence, heavy investment into road development to ease the cost of doing business and provide support to the backbone that is the agricultural sector to produce more, access markets from border to border and across in the region were made.
Statistics mostly under UNRA’s mandate show that the average increase in paved roads over the last couple of years has been approximately 252km per year. This increase in paved roads toes the line of the National Development Plan and Vision 2040 targets as set by the Government of Uganda.
Specific emphasis was placed on roads that would impact the agricultural sector, among others. Roads that support both local and transit traffic were constructed. Currently, construction is moving into the countryside, away from the trunk roads, in order to tap directly into the production areas of these products, be it tea, coffee, matooke, grains etc., in every region of the country. Results of these efforts have already been registered; the average annual growth in the agricultural sector has increased from 2.80% in 2016 to 5.367 in 2019, with an expected 4% growth between 2021 and 2026.
An excellent example of this impact on the household level can be observed with the road connecting Gomba, Mpigi, Sembabule and Masaka. It would take over 6 hours to complete a 133-kilometre journey from Sembabule to Mpigi with Kampala-bound trucks getting stuck on the roads with agricultural goods on board. Tibutemberwa G. Patrick, a dairy farmer from Sembabule, speaks of the horror that was this situation with a redemptive tone. His face alights when he speaks of the ease of transporting his milk to Kampala on the now-paved road. Ssali Henry, a resident of Kanoni, Gomba in the same region, shares a similar tale. He narrates that one route to Kampala would necessitate a visit to the mechanic for one’s vehicle. In addition, public transport ceased at 3 pm as opposed to the 24-hour public transport they enjoy presently. Currently, goods and people ply the route at any time of the day, which is good news for the agricultural producers who have to take fresh produce to Kampala markets as early as 2 am.
Uganda National Roads Authority has connected the Country border to border with over 5,380 km of tarmac and over 1,000 km under construction. On top of these, a total of up to 9 ferries provide continuity to the road infrastructure, further ensuring transportation of foods and people, reducing travel time and increasing revenue ultimately.
As we celebrate World Food Day, let us recognize the natural marriage between the agricultural and road sectors and continue to nurture the fruits of this union. The era of vast growth is undoubtedly upon us.
Ayub Ahmed
Uganda National Roads Authority
Twitter: @AHMEDAYUB1
Email: [email protected]
