Dr George Ah-Thew, the Director of Infrastructure at Southern African Development Community (SADC).

A regional expert has given recommendations to the government of South Sudan on how it can promote cheaper and meaningful internet connectivity in the country.

South Sudan is one of the countries with the most expensive internets in Africa – with an average retail price of 2 dollars per one gigabyte of bandwidth.

Dr George Ah-Thew, the Director of Infrastructure at Southern African Development Community SADC, said the government can secure cost-effective loans from the World Bank and investment banks.

Dr Thew said the government should channel the loans and grants so that the private sector’s licensed operators can develop these networks.

The former Director General of ICT in the government of Seychelles, said the business model worked for his country and other African nations.

He further said in that framework, the government can also make certain requests in demands or requirements in terms of tariff connectivity for schools, clinics, hospitals, community centers and rural areas.

He added that the approach will address the country’s technological deficit, and a swift improvement would benefit other spheres like the education and health sectors.

“When you already have licensed operators, an internet service provider, particularly, in South Sudan, can possibly approach the government to invite them to a roundtable,” he said during a media training in the Burundian capital Bujumbura.

“Have news of securing cost-effective loans, which only government can secure from the world bank, investment banks and EFD. This is to allow the government to channel this loans and grants so that the private sector licenses operator can develop this network.”

“Possibly with this type of low-cost loan, the business model will be attractive, now in that framework, government can also make a certain request in demands or requirements what will be as the tariff, connectivity for schools, clinics, hospitals, community centers, for post offices and the rural areas.”

According to the latest developing telecoms report, although South Sudan gained its international commercial cable of fiber-link in 2020, it still faces additional challenges of access to international undersea fiber optic cable connectivity.

The country relies on expensive internet technology constraining demand and reducing the scope for broadband-driven transformation.

It said that South Sudan has one of the least developed telecommunications and internet markets in the world, while other infrastructure is also lamentably poor.

Dr Thew further recommended that the government of South Sudan can create a conducive environment through some relaxation in taxes to assist the operators to provide good internet service to the people.”

“I believe that one possible approach is for the government to assist the operators and create a conducive environment, cheap loans may be one option, some relaxation in taxes could be another.”

“They can reach the rural areas, and taking into account that citizens in the rural areas may not have the same purchasing power as those who are living in towns.”