According to a statement from the Presidency, Kiir is expected to hold bilateral talks with Ethiopian officials on strengthening economic and security ties. He will also engage with other African leaders attending a series of high-level summits in the Ethiopian capital.
The visit comes on the eve of Tuesday’s official launch of the GERD, Ethiopia’s flagship hydropower project that has dominated regional politics for more than a decade.
The $5 billion dam, the largest in Africa, is designed to generate over 5,000 megawatts of electricity annually, enough to transform Ethiopia into a regional energy hub.
Addis Ababa insists the project will bring shared benefits, but downstream countries Egypt and Sudan have long objected, citing threats to their water security.
For South Sudan, however, the completion of the GERD could revive stalled energy cooperation with its northern neighbour. In May 2022, Juba and Addis Ababa signed a Memorandum of Understanding allowing Ethiopia to export 100 megawatts of electricity to South Sudan, with the possibility of scaling up to 400 megawatts.
The deal envisioned a phased approach beginning with feasibility studies and construction of transmission lines, but progress has lagged. With the dam now on the verge of operation, South Sudan’s leadership may push to accelerate implementation, despite the potential diplomatic cost of aligning with Ethiopia on an issue that irritates Cairo and Khartoum.
But the Kiir regime has also come under criticism for doing very little to harness home-grown solutions to meet the energy needs of its country, where access to electricity remains a privilege to more than half of the 12 million population.
Self-exiled activist and former Executive Director of Okay Africa, Wani Michael, repeatedly advocated for the completion of the Fulla Hydroelectric Dam, estimated to cost $1.7 billion, with a potential to generate 890 megawatts.
Energy is not the only area on the table. Kiir’s trip also follows a round of talks in Juba with Ethiopia’s Finance Minister and Special Envoy, Ahmed Shide Mohammed, focusing on aviation partnerships.
In 2023, the two countries signed an MoU enabling Ethiopian Airlines to acquire a 49 percent stake in South Sudan’s proposed national carrier. The venture, if realized, could address Juba’s long-standing ambitions to build a reliable flag carrier while tapping into Ethiopia’s extensive aviation expertise.
