French conglomerate wins $70m Uganda water supply project

October 14, 2022 in Infrastructure, Investment by Editor

Sogea-Satom has a long-standing presence in the country, in particular having built the drinking water treatment plants at Ggaba (2016) and Katosi (2019), and having deployed its expertise at the plant at Karuma since August 2021.

Two subsidiaries of VINCI Construction, the French conglomerate, have been selected to design and build drinking water supply infrastructure in Mbarara district south-west Uganda, on behalf of the state-owned National Water and Sewage Corporation.

Sogea-Satom and VINCI Construction Grands Projets are the lead contractors in a $70 million project initiated by the Ministry of Water and Environment and financed by the French Development Agency (AFD).

During the signing of the financing agreements in September last year, finance minister Matia Kasaijja said, “This is expected to go a long way in improving the health, living standards and productivity of the population in the project areas.”

It involves the construction of a water intake on the Kagera River, a drinking water treatment plant with a capacity of 30,000 cubic metres per day, a booster station, and the laying of 62 kilometres of pipes. Completion of the project will mean safe drinking water supply systems for nearly 200,000 people in 15 sub-counties and eight town councils.

The French Ambassador, Jules-Armand Aniambossou said, “As one of the priority areas agreed upon between France and Uganda, AFD has supported the development of water and sanitation infrastructure in both rural and urban areas through the Ministry of Water and Environment and also through the National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC).”

About 200 people will be recruited locally and later trained in the context of the works, which will last 22 months. Sogea-Satom has a long-standing presence in the country, in particular having built the drinking water treatment plants at Ggaba (2016) and Katosi (2019), and having deployed its expertise at the plant at Karuma since August 2021.