Arua, West Nile, The Northern Region, Uganda

🇺🇬 Arua is a city and commercial centre within the Arua District in the Northern Region of Uganda.

Geography: Location Arua is approximately 475 km (295 mi) north-west of Kampala, the capital and largest city of Uganda, Arua is about 228 km (142 mi), by road, west of Gulu, the largest city in Uganda's Northern Region. Arua sits at an average elevation of 1,310 metres (4,298 ft) above sea level. Arua is closely bordered to the Democratic Republic of Congo in the west and South Sudan in the north, which makes it a strategic location for business between Uganda and her two neighbors to the west and north.

Due to its strategic location, Arua is also part of the refugee program of hosting up to 20% of the refugees entering Uganda annually.

Overview Arua is an important base for non-governmental organizations working in the West Nile sub-region or serving Western Equatoria in South Sudan and the north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. It became an important commercial supply centre and transport route when the Juba - Yei - Morobo - Kaya Road opened, enabling supplies to come into Juba from the south on the Kaya Highway instead of through Khartoum from the north.

Transport A branch of the Uganda Railways was to be extended to Arua sometime after 1964, but there has been no passenger rail service in Uganda for many years.

The Vurra–Arua–Koboko–Oraba Road passes through town, in a south–north direction. Arua is connected to the other towns in West Nile by road which include: Nebbi, Pakwach, Paidha, Koboko, Yumbe, Moyo, Obongi, Adjumani and other smaller towns. There is regular road transport between Arua and Kampala, Gulu, Masindi and Hoima

The city is served by Arua Airport, which has scheduled air service. Arua airport has been the second busiest in Uganda after Entebbe. It was due to be upgraded to an international airport.

Population The 1969 national census enumerated the population of Arua Town at 10,837. In 1991, the census enumerated 22,217 people in the town. In 2002, the population had increased to 43,929. The August 2014 national census and household survey enumerated the population of Arua Town Council at 61,962. In 2020, the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) estimated the mid-year population to be 72,400. UBOS calculated that the population of Arua Municipality grew at an average rate of 2.7 percent annually, between 2014 and 2020.

Administrative activities The following administrations are seated in Arua: • offices of the Arua Town Council • headquarters of Arua District • headquarters of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Arua and the Church of Uganda's Madi West Nile Diocese

Other business and educational activities • Arua Campus of the Makerere University Business School • Uganda Christian University Arua Campus in Ringili at St. Paul's Theological College • Arua Campus of Bugema University • main campus of Muni University, the sixth public university established by the government of Uganda • Kuluva School of Nursing and Midwifery • a campus of the Islamic University in Uganda • a branch of PostBank Uganda • an office of the National Social Security Fund • Arua central market • Arua Currency Center, a currency storage and processing facility, owned and operated by the Bank of Uganda, Uganda's central bank. • Arua Hospital, a 128-bed public, regional referral hospital administered by the Uganda Ministry of Health • Ragem Beach

Media Analog broadcasts, which originate from Kampala, include WBS TV (which is currently closed), UBC TV, and NTV. In early 2014, MBC 2 was aired in Arua as a test broadcast to pave way for Vision Group's Urban TV.

Voice of Life, a Church of Uganda-founded radio station, has pioneered FM broadcasting in Arua since 1997.