Arua City Secures Shs4.8bn for Displacement-Affected Communities

The project, funded by the European Union through Cities Alliance, is being implemented in partnership with Associazione Centro Aiuti Volontari.

Arua City Council has secured Shs4.8 billion for the implementation of the Sustainable Urban Integration of Displacement-Affected Communities (SUIDAC) Project, an initiative aimed at enhancing health, education, and livelihoods in a city that continues to host displaced populations.

The project, funded by the European Union through Cities Alliance, is being implemented in partnership with Associazione Centro Aiuti Volontari (ACAV).

Denis Asiku, the SUIDAC focal person in Arua City, said the project is designed to strengthen service delivery and improve social cohesion between displaced people and their host communities.

"Its sole objective is to integrate displaced communities and the host population by improving social services, which will in turn foster harmony in the urban areas," Asiku explained.

The project, conceptualized in November 2024, is set to commence in July 2025 and will run until December 2027, when monitoring and evaluation will be conducted.

The initiative will focus on improving education, health, and capacity-building efforts by constructing classroom blocks and VIP latrines in schools, as well as training health workers, Village Health Teams (VHTs), and teachers.

Bongo Patrick, a senior officer at Cities Alliance, underscored the importance of successfully implementing the pilot project, noting that its success could open doors to further funding opportunities.

"A pilot means that if this initiative is well-executed, Arua City could qualify for more funding opportunities in the future. It’s an opportunity to prove that the city can successfully implement a project," he said.

Solomon Osakan, the refugee desk officer at the Office of the Prime Minister, acknowledged the hardships faced by displaced communities in Arua.

"Many of them are struggling to access essential services like healthcare and education. This project is a step towards addressing these gaps and improving their quality of life. If host communities benefit, the reverse is true for displaced persons as well," he noted.

Arua City Mayor Sam Nyakua welcomed the initiative but emphasized the need for transparency and responsible implementation.

"All of you involved in this project must remain accountable. If we handle this well, it will be a success story for all of us," he said.

The SUIDAC project is part of a larger program spanning nine African cities, including Kananga and Tshikapa in DR Congo, Assosa and Jigjiga in Ethiopia, two cities in Somalia, one in Sudan, and Koboko and Arua in Uganda.

If successfully executed, the project is expected to strengthen Arua City's urban development while promoting integration between displaced and host communities.