The Council of Ministers has approved about nine hundred thousand US dollars for the steering committee formed by the president to start implementation of a joint border infrastructure development with Ethiopia.

In February, South Sudan and Ethiopia signed an agreement for construction of two roads linking the two countries through their common borders.

According to the agreement, Ethiopian Military Engineering Corp will build one of the roads that will connect Ethiopia’s Gambella region to Mathiang and Paloch areas via Pagak in former Upper Nile state.

While the other route will join the three areas of Buma, Pibor, and Bor of former Jonglei state, from Jebel-Raad to Dima in Ethiopia,

Speaking to journalists after the regular council of minister meeting on Friday, Michael Makuei says that the budget of nearly nine hundred thousand US dollars is only to facilitate the working committee to kick off the initiative.

“The cabinet has approved the establishment of the steering committee that committee will have to work and coordinate with Ethiopian Government and the project will be implemented by the Ethiopian Military Engineering Corp. So a sum of 899, 296 US dollars was approved for this committee so that they can continue to move between here and Ethiopia up to the time when they will be in the position to work out the final mechanism,” Makuei said.

The Cabinet sitting was chaired by President Kiir.