Tarmacked section of Juba-Terekeka road in Juba, capital of South Sudan, Feb. 16, 2021. (Xinhua/Denis Elamu).

The Ministry of roads and bridges has contracted several companies to carry out feasibility studies before the construction of seven roads across the country.

The would-be tarmacked roads include Wau- Aweil road, Rumbek – Mayendit – Bentiu road,  Kajo-Keji – Juba road, and Malakal – Jekou road.

According to Peter Kuot Jel, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Roads and Bridges, the Roads Ministry has agreed with seven companies on the terms of designs and quality of the roads.

He said the selected roads quality and design is one of the best and would be long-lasting.

Speaking to the state-owned television – SSBC on Friday, Kuot said the feasibility studies provide a database for the Ministry.

“The process to do the bankable road studies of Aweil-Wau- Meiram road, Rumbek-Mayendit-Bentiu road, Kajokeji-Jalle-Juba road, and Malakal- JACO road came to an end today,” he said.

“We divided them into seven lots whereby the lengthy sections are divided into two and the short ones into one so, we have now signed contracts with seven companies to do studies and this will be the basis of road design to its.”

But Undersecretary Kuot Jel did not disclose either the amount allocated to the feasibility studies or the cost of the seven road projects.

South Sudan remains one of the countries with the most underdeveloped road networks in the world, according to the World Bank.

In September, this year more than 1,000 trucks loaded with perishable goods were stuck on the outskirts of Mundri town in southwestern South Sudan due to bad roads.

The Minister of Roads and Bridges Simon Mijok Mijak later apologized to the country for the deplorable roads conditions and said the government is working hard to improve the transport network.