KAMPALA, Uganda

Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni Thursday flagged off the construction of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), which will be built by Turkish company Yapi Merkezi.

Upon completion, it will have the capacity to transport 1,000 tons of cargo at once, easing transportation, accessibility and service delivery.

The president said that the project will stimulate trade relations between Uganda and its neighbors and other economic sectors.

"Poor infrastructure is estimated to lower trade volumes by 40% in Africa, thus its share in global trade is below 5% and intra-African trade is below 15%, while in other continents it is between 40 to 60%," he said.

He noted that disconnection within Africa's infrastructure, that is, seas, railways, roads, and aviation, restricts trade and forces countries to rely heavily on foreign markets.

"By connecting Uganda to the entire region, we aim at boosting regional trade, allowing us to trade directly with Africa rather than exporting to distant markets," he added.

The president explained that upon completion of the project, it will take less than 10 hours to travel from Mombasa to Kampala, unlike the current 14 hours by the meter gauge train.

The Turkish ambassador to Uganda, Fatih Ak, said that Ankara will continue to support Uganda’s development agenda. He added that the infrastructure would help the country unlock untapped potential and make its products competitive on the global stage.

The $3 billion, 273-kilometer (170-mile) long railway project from Kampala to Malaba, neighboring Kenya, is in addition to several other projects undertaken by Turkish companies such as PolatYol Yapi, Gulsan and Summa constructions.

Speaking to Anadolu, Levent Serdar Dervisoglu, the honorary consular of Uganda in Istanbul, said that the project is critical to stimulating job creation, developing the skills of Ugandans, and boosting Uganda’s economy.