On October 17, a grand commissioning ceremony was held in Jinja, Republic of Uganda, for the “Source of the Nile Bridge” constructed under the Construction of a New Bridge Across River Nile at Jinja Project, which was been supported with Japanese ODA loans from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Some 3000 people attended the ceremony, including dignitaries from the Government of Uganda such as H.E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, President of the Republic of Uganda; and dignitaries from Japan such as the Hon. Masahisa Sato, State Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan; H.E. Kazuaki Kameda, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Uganda; and Mr. Yutaka Fukase, Chief Representative of the JICA Uganda Office. A lighting ceremony was also held in the evening, bathing the bridge in illumination.

Under the project, a new bridge was constructed across the Nile River with access roads and other facilities in Jinja District approximately 80 kilometers east of Kampala, the capital city of Uganda. The bridge is located along the Northern Corridor, which links East Africa to the Port of Mombasa in Kenya. The objectives of the project were to ensure traffic safety and boost the transportation capacity of the East African Northern Corridor in Uganda. There has been much attention on the project in Uganda, where the bridge is viewed as a symbol of economic growth.