VP Taban says construction of Ethiopia-South Sudan highway to kick off soon   

JUBA – South Sudan’s Vice President for Infrastructure Cluster, Taban Deng Gai, said Tuesday that construction of a highway linking the world’s youngest country to neighboring Ethiopia is expected to begin soon and would improve trade and movement of citizens between the two countries.

Deng revealed the plans during the celebration of the 11th independence week of South Sudan organized by the Ethiopian Embassy in Juba on Tuesday.

“Currently, we are about to implement major development projects that connect us to Ethiopia, the road from Pagak to Mathiang, Palouge, Malakal to Bentiu to Bahr el Ghazal,” Deng said.

Deng said the roads that will connect South Sudan to Ethiopia will ease transportation between the two sisterly countries.

“That road is a very important corridor; it will connect us to Ethiopia for our export and import and also to the port of Djibouti and Berbera in Somalia,” Deng said.

Deng said the other road will run from Boma, in central South Sudan, through Bor and Dima to Raad, in southern Ethiopia.

“That corridor is very important; it is the shortcut to the people of Bahr el Ghazal and Upper Nile. It is the shortest distance compared to Mombasa,” said Deng.

“We are also working to connect Ethiopia with us through the road of Raad to Eastern Equatoria and Uganda and the road from Raad to Boma Pibor and Bor.”

Amb. Nebil Mahdi, Top Ethiopian Envoy to South Sudan stressed the need to beef up joint efforts in areas of road construction.

“To this end, I suggest we should beef up our joint efforts in areas of road infrastructure, transport immigration, custom, and other relevant sectors,” Mahdi said.

The construction of the two roads was agreed upon at a general meeting between Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn and South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir on 24 February.

South Sudan is a landlocked country that relies on an oil export pipeline through Sudan to Port Sudan as its only export route, paying high transit fees to Khartoum for the privilege.