Road Upgrade Transforms Farming in Erusi Subcounty, Nebbi

Since 2021, the Civil Society Budget Advocacy Group (CSBAG), with support from Oxfam Uganda under the Power of Voices Partnership (PVP) and Fair for All (FfA) programme, has been implementing interventions aimed at promoting inclusive and sustainable development. The project focuses on empowering small-scale coffee producers, workers, and their communities, particularly women and youth, by strengthening their participation in economic governance and improving service delivery. At the national level, CSBAG leads implementation, while at the local level, activities are delivered in partnership with the Agency for Community Empowerment (AFCE) in the districts of Nebbi and Zombo, covering four sub-counties (Erussi Sub County, Nyapea Sub County, Warr Sub County and Paidha Sub County).

In 2022, a collaborative effort to promote good governance and accountability, CSBAG and AFCE empowered Participatory Budget Club (PBC) members, primarily coffee farmers, with essential skills in budget tracking, service delivery monitoring, budget accountability, and advocacy.

In 2023, armed with this knowledge, PBC members mobilised the community to demand improved service delivery from local authorities. A notable outcome of this initiative was the advocacy effort led by PBC members in Erusi Sub County, Nebbi District, who joined forces with citizens to push for the grading of a critical road connecting Erusi to Nebbi via Owilo and Owecko.

This road had long been in disrepair, hindering farmers’ ability to transport goods to market. The community’s collective voice brought attention to the issue, prompting action from local authorities. This story highlights the impact of empowering citizens to hold leaders accountable and the difference it can make in their lives.

PBCs closely monitored the condition of the Erusi-Nebbi road, recognizing its critical role in facilitating farmers’ access to markets. Given its poor state, the road had become a significant hindrance to the transportation of produce, prompting PBCs to advocate for its grading during the Sub-County budget conference.

Part of the road from Erusi to Nebbi via Owilo and Owecko with the PBCs doing monitoring – March/2024

Their efforts paid off when the Sub-County included the road’s upgrade in their budget frameworks, which were then submitted to the district. The district, in turn, incorporated the project into their plans, paving the way for the road’s improvement. This achievement underscores the impact of citizen-led monitoring and advocacy in influencing budget decisions and driving positive change in local infrastructure.

Recognising the urgency of the situation, the district took swift action, and in January 2025, the road was graded. This upgrade took place over the entire month, greatly improving the transportation of farmers’ produce to various markets. The impact was immediate, and it addressed a challenge that had long plagued the community.

The successful grading of the Erusi-Nebbi road has brought tangible benefits to the farmers and residents, enabling them to transport goods more efficiently and connecting them to markets with greater ease. This outcome is a direct result of the collaborative efforts between the PBCs, the community, and local authorities, showcasing the power of citizen engagement in driving meaningful change.

“You have given us a very very strong and powerful team, these are our own people, I know all of them, they came here introduced themselves to us since they joined CSBAG and we have been with them on the ground, they did monitoring several times, and I remember last year on 15th October 2024 we held a budget conference and they had a report to present, their presentation was unique. It is my prayer that you never leave these people behind, if your renewing, renew these people” said by Laka Adam LC III, Erusi Sub-county-Nebbi district

During interactions with the community, a member highlighted the critical role of the Erusi-Nebbi road, noting that Erusi Subcounty is the food basket of Nebbi District. The road’s upgrade was strategic, and the community expressed sincere gratitude for the efforts made to improve it. However, a new concern emerged: water accumulation beside the road during rainy days, which could lead to rapid deterioration. To ensure the sustainability of these improvements, the community suggested installing culverts to mitigate this issue.

“Erussi is the food basket of Nebbi, this road had big potholes that made transporting our crops to the market very difficult, and now we are very happy and grateful that it has been worked on, at least now, transporting is easy.” said by Cikawun Godfred, a community member, Erussi Subcounty-Nebbi District

This success story showcases the power of community advocacy and stakeholder engagement in driving infrastructure development. Through the PBCs and community efforts, tangible results were achieved, and the upgraded road will remain an important link for farmers, strengthening economic opportunities and food security in the region. As the community continues to monitor and address emerging challenges, this initiative serves as a model for effective community-led development, highlighting the importance of sustained engagement and collaboration.

This success contributes directly to the project’s Medium-Term Impact Statement 4: Civil society has contributed to trade, tax, and investment policy reforms that enable governments to promote inclusive and sustainable development, benefiting women, small and medium-scale producers, their communities, and domestic economies.

More specifically, the outcomes feed into:

• Intermediate Outcome 4.2: Empowered citizens and youth have oversight of and a voice in trade and fiscal issues, and governments demonstrate increased political will for inclusive, transformative development.

This success in Erussi shows how empowered communities through platforms like PBCs can influence public investments that spur inclusive and sustainable development, particularly benefiting smallholder farmers and local economies.

Significance of the Success

In Erussi Sub-county, poor road infrastructure had long hindered agricultural productivity and service delivery. Heavy rains made the roads impassable, limiting farmers’ ability to transport produce to markets and affecting access to essential services like health care and education especially for women, youth, children, and persons with disabilities (PWDs). Duty bearers often cited inadequate resources as a barrier to regular monitoring and improvement of service delivery points, including rural roads.

Through sustained engagement and budget advocacy by Participatory Budget Clubs (PBCs), the community successfully lobbied for the upgrade of key roads. This outcome demonstrates the power of citizen-led advocacy in shaping local government priorities and ensuring accountability in resource allocation.