South Sudan lags behind in road connectivity

Minister Madut Biar Yel addressed the LAPSSET meeting in Juba. (Photo: Radio Tamazuj)

South Sudan’s transport minister has said the country is still lagging in terms of road connectivity compared to other countries in the region.

Madut Biar Yel made the remarks while addressing (Lamu Port, South Sudan, Ethiopia Transport Corridor) LAPSSET representatives and government officials in Juba on Wednesday.

“The Republic of South Sudan is the country which is not yet interconnected in terms of infrastructure unlike the other two members of LAPSSET, Kenya and Ethiopia,” he said. “As the ministry of transport, we have developed a very good plan to make South Sudan not just feel like a land locked but we will be a land link linking the other two members (Kenya and Ethiopia) to other countries in Africa. I mentioned some countries towards West Africa.”

Biar said his ministry is dedicated to connecting the major road linking Nadapal to Juba as soon as possible.

“We are committed as a government to implementing LAPSSET projects in terms of road connectivity. Soon we are now going to start connecting Nadapal to Juba,” he said. “This will be followed by railway connectivity which is also part of the LAPSSET project. Once the Republic of Kenya connects Lamu to South Sudan through railway, we will also connect from there to Juba and then to the rest of our country.”

Minister Biar revealed that South Sudan was going to sign an agreement with Ethiopia within the week to connect the two countries through Pagak.

According to the LAPSSET project, the road and railway connectivity from Lamu Port in Kenya and Ethiopia are supposed to pass through South Sudan to other African countries including in West Africa to boost trade.

Among the key representatives who attended the LAPSSET event in Juba on Thursday were; Mr. Stephen Ikuam  Director General of LAPSSET Corridor Development Authority in Kenya, Minister of Finance of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia Dr. Eyob Tekalign, Sylvester Kasuku, the representative for United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) who is also a technical consultant to South Sudan ministry of transport, Mr. Ebera Endeshaw, senior advisor to the minister of water and energy in Ethiopia, Kenyata Warille, Executive Director at South Sudan Roads Authority.