Ntungamo Leaders Seek Better Power, Roads for Pig Iron Plant

What the report says

Ntungamo district leaders have pledged support for TERA Industrial Development’s pig iron plant in Kakukuru, Rwenanura Town Council, after the company said unreliable electricity and poor transport links were slowing operations. The commitment was made during a monitoring visit by district officials who reviewed progress at the site and discussed the main infrastructure problems affecting the project.

According to the article published by Nile Post, the plant is being built in phases and is already producing pig iron on a trial basis. Brian Munanura, the company’s deputy general manager, said the first commercial output is expected by October, after which the project would move toward producing steel billets. He said the facility depends on an electric furnace, making stable power essential, while weak roads and the Kategure Bridge are raising costs for heavy truck transport.

The district team, led by LC5 chairman Samuel Mucunguzi and Chief Administrative Officer Fedelis Kiza, said it would work with the investor and local authorities to address the concerns. Kiza praised the progress made so far, while Mucunguzi said the project could support jobs, local business activity and wider industrial growth in Ntungamo. Deputy RDC Rosemary Atuhaire also backed the plant as part of Uganda’s industrialisation drive.

The plant is intended to add value to locally mined iron ore rather than exporting raw material. As a cautious general background note, pig iron is a basic intermediate product used in steelmaking, so the project could supply downstream manufacturers if it reaches full production.