South Sudan will embark on implementing major infrastructure development projects in an effort to open the landlocked east African nation to trade opportunities as it seeks to recover from a devastating five-year-old conflict.

Transport minister John Luk Jok said Monday that with the prospects of peace returning to the war-torn country, the government would embark on building new roads and establish rail and air infrastructure in a bid to tackle the country’s current infrastructure challenges.

He said the government also plans to erect new rail lines to connect the country to Ethiopia, Sudan and Uganda respectively.

He added that the government is also searching for potential investors to build the country’s second international airport in Tali, a remote area some 80 kilometers north of the capital Juba.

“South Sudan needs to build its transport sector and particularly the air transport and road infrastructure. We must continue to build our roads because roads are the most ideal modes of transport,” Jok said.

According to the World Bank, South Sudan’s road network remains in very poor condition, especially in rural areas that are largely inaccessible during the six-month rainy season (from April to October).

“South Sudan in the near future can be an international hub, we have this idea of building a new airport at Tali, the location is so central that it can attract so many big international airlines,” Jok said.

The official spoke during an occasion to inaugurate the country’s first modern terminal Juba International Airport ahead of peace celebrations scheduled for Wednesday.

Vice President James Wani Igga hailed the new development at the Juba airport as vital, which will help improve the country’s image abroad because the old facilities were in poor state.

Source Coastweek

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