Planning of National Transport Infrastructure
In the Islamic Countries
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The national population with access to public transport services is 38%. However the
percentage of the rural population living within 2 km of an all-weather road is only 15%,
demonstrating the lack of access to public transport services outside cities. Clearly the NTMP
objectives are far from met. According to the Statistical Abstract of 2016, boda-bodas became
the most common means of transport in rural areas but also contributed to the bulk of accidents
recorded - forming 28% by type of vehicle in 2015 resulting in 24% of all victims of road
accidents. The high road accident rate is a major concern. Ugandan transport planning has aimed
high to rectify the evident lack of good quality transport infrastructure that is needed to develop
the economy and improve people’s lives. Further refinement of plans and processes is obvious
but to date it deserves credit for not wasting time during the last 20 years, taking bold steps and
moving forward with energy and confidence.
From discussions and questionnaire responses in Uganda, the level of holistic planning in
transport sectors, in terms of the integration among various aspects such as land use, multi-
modal transport logistics and communication plans is considered to be fair. But in reality, the
response is a relative one, for without hard benchmarking and measures it is difficult to
appreciate exactly what is good in terms of holistic and integrated planning. For example, the
extent of complementarity of road, rail, air and water-based transport modes should be
interpreted in the way that these transport modes interact rather than compete with each other.
There being no road /rail / air /water interchanges or any description in Uganda, one concludes
that there is much to do. In terms of the application of socio-economic evaluation / cost benefit
analysis in infrastructure planning to prioritize projects it is a statutory requirement according
to MoWT. However, very early signs from a mid-term evaluation of the NTMP (unpublished)
show Economic Internal Rate of Return (EIRR) to be over estimated in some projects. The value
of such analyses is only as good as the numbers going into the model. It is tempting to also to
add that consulting engineers, that invariably have the job of assessing the feasibility of a project,
have a vested interest in the outcome. It is also very definitely and mandatory to apply
Environmental and Social Impact Assessments for transport investment projects. Whether
recommendations regarding mitigation measures are implemented is a totally different matter,
generally the anecdotal evidence is that they are partially implemented, because it adds to the
cost of the project investment.
3.3.4. Procedural Factors and Financing
In Uganda, transport sector development depends on there being a national transport plan in
place and that investment projects must appear in the plans before any budgetary allocation is
made. This certainly applies to international investors and funding agencies that precondition
project funding with a requirement that it is part of the national plan. This sometime makes
project lead time very protracted, as is the case in Uganda whose NTMP 2008-2023 had its
genesis in 2002. This means that projects now being built will have been identified more than
15 years ago. The consultative process may also be lengthy where in Uganda, even though
projects appear in an approved national plan, it still does not exempt it from the due processes
of consultation. Consultation is carried out at various levels, inter-ministerial, local government,
and civil society. In addition, in Uganda the role of traditional African Laws is respected, and new
projects will require the approval of local traditional leaders as well. The evolution and
maturation of transport investment projects in Uganda broadly follows the project cycle
management as shown i