Inspection Panel

New Revelations on the Bujagali Project From the Funders

Released at a Press Conference at NAPE Offices

Ladies and Gentlemen of the Press,

As you are already aware that NAPE and others have been contesting the construction of Bujagali dam ever since it started in Uganda in the 1990s because of the many problems associated with it.

I woke up not knowing what time it was, and not even sure where I was. My watch still gave the time in Europe, and the room was unfamiliar. Finally, it dawned on me: it was five in the morning and I was in a small inn in Washington, DC, walking distance from the World Bank, which would be my target in the next few days. It was Annual Meeting time again.

Some Notes and Recommendations by International Rivers Network, June 20, 2002

In a May 2002 letter to Executive Directors, 120 NGOs urge the Bank to delay further funding approvals until a report by the Inspection Panel on the dam’s violations of Bank policy is released. They also request a "more realistic" economic assessment of the project, and a release of the project contract in Uganda.

The purpose of this review is to highlight major findings of the 2002 Panel report, and to recommend corrective action which is needed to rectify the problems documented in the report before the project goes forward.