Chinese company to build polytechnic institute in Uganda

Almaty. October 11. Silkroadnews - A Chinese company will build a polytechnic institute to train engineers in Uganda, Ugandan newspaper New Vision reported.
“A Chinese firm contracted to build the $2.3b Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) is to construct a polytechnic institute to train Ugandan engineers and technicians in railway construction,” the report said.
It is noted the establishment of the institute is a part of the commitment to transfer skills from the railway construction contractor to create a pool of local experts in this area by the end of the project.
The institute will specialize in all aspects of engineering and infrastructure construction, including operations and project management. It will be established in the Rubongi area of Tororo and supported by the China Harbor Engineering Company (CHEC), the contractor for the railway construction project.
The training center will be established in partnership with the National Enterprise Corporation (NEC), the commercial arm of the Uganda People’s Defense Force (UPDF).
Wang An, a representative of CHEC and Managing Director of the NEC, Major-General James Mugira signed a memorandum of understanding. The officials also formed a group of 10 Ugandan engineers who will undergo a three-month training course on railway construction in China.
It is expected that the construction of the railway will start as soon as government completes negotiations on financing with China Exim Bank, the project’s main sponsor.
This railway is part of a major regional transport project to connect East African cities and suburbs in Kenya, Uganda, Southern Sudan, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
In Uganda, the first phase of the 273-km project will pass through at least 11 districts between Kampala and Tororo, where it will connect to the Kenya railway network.