New bridge increases access to humanitarian assistance, social and protection services for refugees

Northern settlements in particular have a unique set of challenges that are different from other regions in Uganda, as it has absorbed the largest portion of refugees after the clashes in Juba, South Sudan in July 2016.

The newly commissioned bridge will improve travel time in delivery of services in refugee hosting zones as well as enhance road transport capacity. Nyara Bridge will connect the Ofua Zone in Rhino Camp Refugee Settlement to Omugo Zone in the Rhino Camp Extension Settlement. Beneficiaries include refugees in the Rhino Camp Settlement, the Rhino Camp Extension and the surrounding host communities. The bridge was handed over on the 29th of July 2022 with representatives from the Ministry of Works and Transport, Ministry of Disaster Preparedness and Refugees and representatives from Arua and Terego local governments.

Since 2019, UNOPS has been implementing the 'Nyara Bridge Construction Project' in Terego District, with $2.4 million in funding from the Government of Japan and the Ministry of Works and Transport Uganda.

The 48m span Nyara bridge is designed to link the Rhino Camp Refugee Settlement Ofua Zone and the Rhino Camp Extension Omugo Zone in Terego, Uganda. Previously, the river was impassable when the water levels rose during the rainy season. Host communities, refugees, humanitarian actors and development partners in these settlements had to travel 54 kilometres to access each zone.

The bridge will improve the efficiency of humanitarian assistance and increase access to social and protection services by reducing travel time from 80 minutes to less than 15 minutes and reducing the travel distance from 54 kilometres to 10 kilometres. Nyara bridge was constructed by a local contractor “Dynaco Limited” and the project was commended for promoting the local construction industry development, which is in line with the government policy of Buy Uganda Build Uganda (BUBU). By enhancing road transport capacity between Omugo Zone and Ofua Zone in Rhino Camp Refugee Settlement, the project will improve access to more business opportunities and livelihood activities, help grow local economies in host communities and increase the long-term self-reliance of refugees.

Approximately 157,000 refugees and more than 67,000 people in host communities will benefit from the newly constructed bridge. The bridge will enable the promotion of peaceful coexistence by connecting different peoples, beliefs and cultures.

In coordination with the Ministry of Works and Transport Uganda, UNOPS also carried out an 8-day technical training session with Engineers from five districts (Arua, Koboko, Madi-Okollo, Maracha and Terego) on bridge inspection, operations and maintenance. Technical capabilities of operations and maintenance are essential to maintain the good condition of the bridge and the technical knowledge will be vital for future bridge construction projects.

“The Nyara Bridge will play a role as a holistic path of local integration and a promotion of peaceful coexistence of refugees and host communities,” said Ambassador of Japan to Uganda His Excellency Fukuzawa Hidemoto.

“The entire West Nile region is expected to benefit from the construction of this bridge,” said Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Works and Transport Uganda (MoWT) Mr. Bageya Waiswa.

UNOPS Director for East and Southern Africa Mr. Rainer Frauenfeld said,"it is our sincere hope that the bridge will address access issues, especially during the rainy season, as well as support local integration of communities using the bridge.”