{"id":46143,"date":"2026-07-16T16:14:38","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T14:14:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/?p=46143"},"modified":"2026-07-16T16:14:38","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T14:14:38","slug":"south-sudanese-refugees-welcome-progress-on-laropi-bridge-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/16\/south-sudanese-refugees-welcome-progress-on-laropi-bridge-project\/","title":{"rendered":"South Sudanese refugees welcome progress on Laropi bridge project"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Jurugo Emmanuel Ogasto<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

South Sudanese refugees living in Palorinya Refugee Settlement in Obongi District have welcomed the latest progress towards the construction of the long-awaited Laropi Bridge across the River Nile, describing the development as a major step that will improve transport, trade, and access to essential services.<\/p>\n

Their reactions follow the African Development Bank’s (AfDB) approval, permitting the government of Uganda to begin procuring a contractor for the construction of the bridge.<\/p>\n

The No Objection clearance issued to the Ministry of Works and Transport paves the way for the government to invite companies to bid for the project, which is being financed through an AfDB loan worth approximately 15.22 million US dollars (about Shs54.3 billion).<\/p>\n

The announcement comes at a time when many travellers have once again been affected by the mechanical breakdown of the Laropi Ferry, leaving thousands of passengers and vehicles stranded at Laropi Landing Site in Moyo District and Omi Landing Site in Adjumani District.<\/p>\n

Speaking to No. 1 Citizen Newspaper on Wednesday, South Sudanese refugees said the bridge would significantly reduce the challenges they have faced for many years while travelling between West Nile districts.<\/p>\n

Taban Ismail, a refugee living in Palorinya Refugee Settlement, said the construction of the bridge would bring relief to refugees and host communities who depend on the ferry for business, education and medical services.<\/p>\n

“We have suffered many delays because of ferry breakdowns. Sometimes people spend hours or even a whole day waiting to cross the river. A permanent bridge will make transportation easier and improve business,” Taban said.<\/p>\n

Another refugee, Daudi Faisal, noted that many refugees operate small businesses between Adjumani, Moyo, and Obongi, adding that unreliable ferry services have often disrupted their livelihoods.<\/p>\n

“The bridge will help traders transport goods quickly without unnecessary delays. It will also reduce transport costs and encourage more business opportunities for refugees and the host communities,” he explained.<\/p>\n

Poni Stella, also a resident of Palorinya Refugee Settlement, said the bridge would improve access to healthcare facilities, schools, and other social services across the region.<\/p>\n

“We are happy that the project is moving forward. Many pregnant women, patients, and children have experienced difficulties whenever the ferry breaks down. A bridge will save lives and make travelling safer,” Stella said.<\/p>\n

The refugees appealed to the government of Uganda and the African Development Bank to ensure the procurement process is completed without unnecessary delays so that construction can begin as soon as possible.<\/p>\n

They expressed optimism that the Laropi Bridge will become a lasting solution to the transport challenges that have affected thousands of people, including refugees, host communities, traders, and other road users in the West Nile region.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Jurugo Emmanuel Ogasto South Sudanese refugees living in Palorinya Refugee Settlement in Obongi District have welcomed the latest progress towards the construction of the long-awaited Laropi Bridge across the River Nile, describing the development as a major step that will improve transport, trade, and access to essential services. Their[Read More…]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":46144,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[80,79,129],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-46143","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national","category-news","category-regional"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Ferry-at-Laropi-landing-side.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46143","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46143"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46143\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":46145,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46143\/revisions\/46145"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46144"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46143"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46143"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46143"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}