Uganda: Improving a country’s road network (CrossRoads)

Working towards a sustainable road market that encourages public and private sector actors to develop a more efficient and competitive road construction and maintenance industry.

The four-year, £18-million CrossRoads programme plays two key roles in improving road maintenance and construction in Uganda. First, it works to boost the private sector’s ability to provide road construction and maintenance services. Second, it works to increase the efficiency with which road sector maintenance and construction work is managed by government departments.

Objectives

• Improve the quality of Uganda’s road network
• Improve the efficiency of the Government of Uganda’s spending on roads
• Help Government with better long-term planning, adequate and consistent funding for roads, regulation, and continuous work opportunities

Launched in 2011, CrossRoads has embedded itself in Uganda’s road sector, and its interventions have already begun to provide countrywide training initiatives for contractors, improve the transparency of procurement processes in the road sector, and offer innovative new funding mechanisms.

CrossRoads also focuses on improving access to finance, increasing access to equipment, building the capacity of sector practitioners (particularly consultants) and industry associations, increasing innovation, improving procurement procedures, and improving road planning by government.

Within CrossRoads, the GBP 2 million Construction Guarantee Fund has been developed to encourage banks to provide bid securities and performance bonds to national contractors. Projects to the value of GBP 15 million were being supported by earlier 2013. This is the first guarantee fund for the road sector in Uganda.

The GBP 1 million CrossRoads Challenge Fund has been set up to provide grants for organisations to develop new ideas for improving Uganda’s road sector. The initiative has been promoted by road shows around the country, and funding has already been provided to five organisations across Uganda. This is the first funding mechanism to encourage road-related innovation in Uganda.

• CrossRoads Guarantee Fund (CGF) is winner of the Research, Studies and Consulting Advisory Award category at ACE Engineering Excellence Awards 2014