JUBA – A South Sudanese activist highlighted on Friday that the inadequate road infrastructure has significantly contributed to the surge in the prices of certain essential commodities within the country.
Edmund Yakani, Executive Director of the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), emphasized how the deteriorating roads had prompted traders to elevate their prices.
“This will help in reducing the prices of commodities in the market, as now the road is very poor, we have seen how high prices are in the market. Trucks are burning fuel in dodging pole holes and in managing the poor state of roads,” he said.
He expressed concerns that if the rainy season commenced, certain sections of the Nimule Road might become impassable.
“I would like to take this opportunity to appeal to the H.E Vice President for Infrastructure Cluster to ensure that they work together with the relevant ministry to urgently fix the Juba-Nimule road before the rainy season starts,” Yakani urged.
The outspoken activist highlighted that the poor road conditions pose what he termed an “economic burden” on the population of South Sudan, which relies on such infrastructure as a lifeline.
The Juba-Nimule road serves as a crucial link for the landlocked country, heavily dependent on imports from neighboring Uganda, and stands as the most efficient route to the Port of Mombasa in Kenya.
The $225 million project, aimed at tarmacking the 192km Juba-Nimule Road, was inaugurated by President Salva Kiir Mayardit and U.S. Consul General to Juba, Ambassador R. Barrie Walkley on February 11, 2011.
Financed by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in collaboration with the Ministry of Transport and Roads, this project sought to stimulate economic growth in South Sudan.
Upon its completion in 2012, the road drastically reduced travel time between Nimule and Juba from eight hours to less than three hours.
