Pader, Uganda

Pader is a town in Pader District in the Northern Region of Uganda. The town is administered by the Pader Town Council, an urban local government. It is the largest metropolitan area in the district and the site of the district headquarters.

Geography
Pader is bordered by Pajule to the north, Parabong to the northeast, Lira Palwo to the east, Puranga to the south, and Awere to the west. The town is approximately 60 km, by road, southeast of Kitgum, the nearest large town. Pader is approximately 133 km, by road, east of Gulu, the largest city in the Northern Region of Uganda. The coordinates of the town are 2°52'43.0"N, 33°05'06.0"E (Latitude:2.8786; Longitude:33.0850).

Overview
Pader sprang up in 2000, the same year that Pader District was formed. The town soon became a center of foreign relief agencies assisting the civilian population affected by the Lord's Resistance Army insurgency. While over US$2 million has been poured into this effort, there is little to show for it because of corruption, poor planning, poor implementation, poor follow up, poor management, lack of accountability, and a hands-off approach by many of the donor agencies.

Population
The 2002 national census estimated the population of the town at about 8,700. The Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) estimated the population at 12,800 in 2010. In 2011, UBOS estimated the mid-year population at 13,500. The 2014 census enumerated the population of the town at 14,080.

In 2015, the population of the town was projected at 13,500. In 2020, the mid-year population of Pader Town was projected at 14,800. It was calculated that the population of the town increased at an average annual rate of 1.9 percent, between 2015 and 2020.

Points of interest
The following additional points of interest lie within or near the town of Pader:
 * headquarters of the 5th Division of the Uganda People's Defence Force
 * Olwor Nguur Primary School
 * Pader Girls Academy
 * Archbishop Flynn Secondary School
 * Paipir Primary School
 * Pader Kilak Primary School
 * Pader central market
 * Ayoro restaurant
 * Kalongo Hospital, a 200-bed community hospital administered by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Gulu and located 46 km, by road, northeast of town