STORY: Chinese-built road in Uganda transforms lives, boosts economy
SHOOTING TIME: May 11-12, 2024
DATELINE: May 22, 2024
LENGTH: 00:02:25
LOCATION: MASINDI, Uganda
CATEGORY: ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Yosam Kagolo, a seasoned trader
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Luganda): YOSAM KAGOLO, Trader
3. various of the Chinese-built road
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): JENNIFER ARINAITWE, Supervisor, Bamboo Village Hotel
5. various of the Chinese-built road
6. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): RAYMOND KATO, Ecologist, Uganda Wildlife Authority
7. SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): XIONG PAILIANG, Project manager, China Communications Construction Company

STORYLINE:

Yosam Kagolo is a seasoned trader at the Ngwedo trading center of Buliisa district in rural midwestern Uganda.

In the past, traveling to nearby towns was a headache for Kagolo. He had to take a whole day to travel to Hoima, a town about 90 km south of Buliisa.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Luganda): YOSAM KAGOLO, Trader
"The road was bad during rainy seasons. In the past, I left here in the morning for Hoima. When I left Buliisa, there was too much rain, and the vehicle broke down. I arrived at Hoima at about 1 p.m. After I bought things and came back, it was around 9 p.m. or 10 p.m."

After a new road was completed in May 2022, Kagolo's travel time to Hoima has been reduced to less than two hours.

The nearly 160-km Masindi-Park Junction and Tangi Junction-Paraa-Buliisa road project was funded by the China Export-Import Bank and built by China Communications Construction Company (CCCC). Two-hundred and eighteen million U.S. dollars was invested in the project.

Over 800 locals were directly employed during construction, receiving training and skills which will continue to benefit communities.

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): JENNIFER ARINAITWE, Supervisor, Bamboo Village Hotel
"The road is good. It has increased the clients to the extent where now that the percentage has gone higher, according to the last year how it had been. And it has increased many businesses around."

As 70 percent of the road winds through the vast Murchison Falls National Park, the road serves as a conduit for both commerce and conservation.

SOUNDBITE 3 (English): RAYMOND KATO, Ecologist, Uganda Wildlife Authority
"We want this road to exist with wildlife. What we call 'co-existence.' That means we work towards mitigating these negative impacts on biodiversity. How do we mitigate them? For example, before the road was made, we had to make what we call an assessment and see areas where animals cross the most."

SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): XIONG PAILIANG, Project manager, China Communications Construction Company
"Through energy conservation, green supply chains, and innovative technologies, we have mitigated our construction project's ecological footprint."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Masindi, Uganda.
(XHTV)