Uhuru Infrastructure has completed the full traffic study and economic evaluation for the Kasindi–Beni–Butembo Corridor — a decisive milestone on the road to upgrading 134 kilometres of the Great Lakes region's most important cross-border trade route.

The study, prepared by Steward Consultancy Limited and finalised in June 2026, closes out the corridor's economic case and clears the way for structuring the project as a public-private partnership under a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) concession. It is the product of months of fieldwork on one of the most consequential roads in Central Africa — and it confirms what every trader between Kasindi and Butembo already knows: this corridor is ready to carry far more than its current condition allows.

A road that carries a region's economy

The highway begins at Kasindi, the Democratic Republic of Congo's busiest eastern border post with Uganda. From there it runs north-west through Bulongo to Beni — the administrative and logistics centre of the area — before turning south-west to Butembo, one of eastern Congo's great commercial cities and home to a trading economy whose reach extends across the region.

North Kivu's economy runs on agriculture, mining and cross-border commerce. Coffee and cocoa grown in the corridor's hinterland cross into Uganda at Kasindi on their way to regional and international markets; manufactured goods, fuel and construction materials flow back. Every one of those journeys pays a premium today — in time, in vehicle wear, in unpredictability — because of the state of the road.

"The current state of the project road is a hindrance to further development of the project area. The upgraded corridor removes that ceiling."

What the study examined

The evaluation treated the corridor in its three constituent sections — Kasindi to Bulongo, Bulongo to Beni, and Beni to Butembo — because each carries a distinct traffic profile, from border-post freight at one end to dense urban commercial movement at the other. Across all three, the study built a complete picture of demand:

  • Corridor-wide traffic surveys. Classified counts captured every class of vehicle using the road — and in this corridor, as across much of East and Central Africa, that begins with the motorcycle, the workhorse of local passenger and goods movement, alongside cars, light goods vehicles, buses and the heavy trucks that carry regional freight.
  • Traffic forecasting. Growth projections were developed for each vehicle class, linked to the region's economic outlook — and supplemented by an estimate of generated traffic: the entirely new journeys that materialise when a road becomes reliable. Farmers who could not get produce to market, transporters who avoided the route, businesses that never opened — an all-weather road changes all of those decisions.
  • A socio-economic review. The study profiled the DRC's economy and the corridor's influence area, from national economic outlook to the realities of poverty and opportunity in North Kivu — the context that gives the project its development significance.
  • Road deterioration analysis. Engineers modelled what happens to each section under a "do nothing" scenario — the accelerating decay of the pavement and the rising cost borne by every vehicle that uses it — against the performance of an upgraded, maintained corridor.
  • Wider economic impacts. Beyond direct transport savings, the evaluation assessed induced investment: the changes in where households and firms — from smallholders to large organisations — choose to locate and invest when a transport constraint is lifted.
  • Sensitivity testing. The economic results were stress-tested under a range of assumptions, confirming the robustness of the corridor's case.

Works already under way

The corridor is not starting from zero. Works on the Kasindi–Bulongo and Bulongo–Beni sections are already being undertaken by DOTT Services Limited, while the Beni–Butembo section — the corridor's busiest stretch, serving Butembo's major trading economy — is the focus of significant further development under the planned concession.

The economic evaluation knits these efforts into a single investment case: one corridor, developed to one standard, operated and maintained for the long term under a PPP-BOT structure.

More than economics

The corridor's significance extends beyond transport costs. Stronger connectivity between the DRC and Uganda deepens regional integration with the East African Community, supports stability in eastern DRC, and gives one of Africa's most dynamic — and most underserved — regions a dependable link to its neighbours. Infrastructure of this kind does not simply move vehicles; it changes what a region believes is possible.

What happens next

With the economic case complete, Uhuru Infrastructure is advancing the PPP-BOT structuring of the corridor in coordination with government counterparts in the region — defining the concession's commercial framework and preparing for engagement with investors and lenders.

Detailed findings of the economic evaluation are available to qualified investors, lenders and development partners on request.

The corridor at a glance

For readers new to the project, the essentials: the corridor runs 134 kilometres through the DRC's North Kivu province, in three sections — Kasindi to Bulongo, Bulongo to Beni, and Beni to Butembo. It connects the DRC's busiest eastern border post with two of eastern Congo's most important cities, and it is being developed by Uhuru Infrastructure as a public-private partnership under a Build-Operate-Transfer concession, in coordination with the governments and road authorities of the region.

A note on methodology

The evaluation follows the appraisal practice used across the region's road sector — the same discipline applied to nationally funded corridors. Traffic surveys follow classified-count and origin–destination methods; economic analysis weighs construction and maintenance costs against road-user benefits over the full evaluation period; and results are tested for sensitivity to the key assumptions. The study was prepared under the direction of experienced transport economists and reviewed through Uhuru Infrastructure's own quality process before finalisation.

From evaluation to concession: the road ahead

An economic evaluation answers the question "should this road be built?" The next phase answers "how will it be built, financed and cared for?" That means concession structuring — defining the commercial framework, the allocation of risk between public and private partners, the tolling and maintenance regime, and the performance standards the concessionaire will be held to — followed by engagement with investors and lenders on the strength of the completed evidence base. Uhuru Infrastructure will publish further milestones as the structuring advances.

About Uhuru Infrastructure

Uhuru Infrastructure is an infrastructure development company originating, developing and delivering large-scale transport infrastructure across East and Central Africa through public-private partnership. From the Kampala–Bombo Expressway in Uganda to the Kasindi–Beni–Butembo trade corridor in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uhuru transforms strategic routes into bankable, investment-ready assets — built to international standards, and built for the people they serve. Uhuru is the Swahili word for freedom: freedom to move, freedom to grow.

Partnership and investment enquiries: contact us or write to info@uhuruinfrastructure.africa.