ARUA
The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) has approved a major financing package worth about Shs650 billion for the expansion of Arua Airport, a project expected to elevate the facility into Uganda's second international airport.
The approval is being viewed as a significant breakthrough for the West Nile region, where leaders have long pushed for improved air transport infrastructure to support trade, tourism, and regional integration.
The planned redevelopment will include construction of a new runway capable of handling larger international aircraft, a modern passenger terminal, cargo handling infrastructure, upgraded taxiways, and improved aviation safety systems.
Officials say the upgraded airport will strengthen Uganda's transport network and improve connectivity between northwestern Uganda and neighbouring countries such as South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The project is also expected to position Arua as an important logistics and commercial centre due to its strategic location near regional borders.
Government officials believe the airport upgrade could attract investment into tourism, agriculture, trade, and mineral exports while opening up the West Nile sub-region to faster international access.
Uganda Civil Aviation Authority officials welcomed the funding approval, describing it as an important step toward expanding Uganda's aviation capacity beyond Entebbe International Airport.
Residents and business leaders in Arua have repeatedly called for the modernisation of the airport, arguing that limited transport infrastructure has slowed economic growth despite the region's commercial potential.
The construction phase is expected to create hundreds of jobs, with additional opportunities likely to emerge in transport, hospitality, and related sectors once the airport becomes operational at an international level.
Once completed, the upgraded airport is expected to become one of Uganda's most strategic aviation facilities outside the capital.
