By Dorothy Nakaweesi
Spencon Services Limited has won a Shs9.7 billion Uganda Investment Authority contract to develop the Namanve Industrial park.
Spencon won the contract through an open bidding process that attracted bids from Dott Services, Sterling International, Multiplex & Sam Crete, Dubai Uganda Investments, and Cementers.
Spencon Services will kick-start the project with the construction of a 14.5 kilometre road within and outside the park for Shs9.7 billion.
While at the contract signing ceremony on June 4 in Kampala, the Deputy Executive Director of UIA, Mr Tom Buringuriza, said: "The establishment of a 14.5 Kilometre primary and secondary paved road network will be subsequently followed by other amenities like water, power and telecommunication networks".
The Regional Director of Spencon Services, Mr A K V Kumar, said: "All logistics are in place and the work will start in less than three weeks," adding that the company hopes to complete construction within 10-months.
UIA through the government secured a $26 million (Shs47 billion) World Bank fund plus a Shs5 billion from government to cater for the development of 415 hectares covered under the first phase out of the total 894-hectares.
The project comes at a time when Uganda is trying to turn into an industrial country through foreign direct investments. Mr Arthur Bwire Tukahirwa, the UIA coordinator of the industrial park project, said: "Once the development is complete many jobs will be created, valued addition, market out sourcing will be realised."
The industrial park is considered an international park that will be produce products for export. The industrial park has been on since 1997 when government allocated the piece of land to UIA. It had however failed to take off after government failed to secure funding.
"UIA faced a challenge, as wanted to use the private sector to develop the park, which would come up with a good park but it was too expensive for the local investors to even afford a plot of land," Mr Tukahirwa said.
Source: Daily Monitor
