Trucks loaded with dry fish at Mangalla Port, Mangalla county - Eye Radio | Koang Pal Chang | Oct 23, 2021

Tarmacked Juba-Bor highway has improved the fish business in Mangalla County in Central Equatoria state, traders have said.

The Juba-Bor highway is currently under construction.

Once completed, the road will be the first ever longest tarmacked road in the region, and expected to reduce the price of commodities in the country.

The new road project is good news to many in South Sudan as most roads in the country are covered with potholes and unstable bridges.

This has caused loss of business due to inefficient means of goods transportation.

Most South Sudanese depend on road and river transport.

Some fish traders in Mangalla Country told Eye Radio on Saturday that they are now enjoying the benefits of the tarmacked Juba -Bor highway.

Zharah Abdulashame, a Sudanese national who lives in Juba says the road has doubled their profits in fish business.

She thanked the Africa Resource Corporation (ARC) for constructing a very wide-road that she said has minimized road accidents.

“This road has helped us a lot, it has provided us with security, the cars can reach us in a short time and the fish always reach the market when still fresh,” Zharah told Eye Radio.

“If somebody wants anything from Juba or if he/she is sick, it takes a short time for the person to reach Juba. Even if you need anything from Juba, you can just call on the phone and transported to you in a short time.

“The road has helped us 200%, and I thanked the company [ARC] that built this road. Now, there are no more road accidents, the width of each lane is big and it can accommodate more cars and motorbikes.”

Garang Riak Garang, who comes from Jonglei state, says he started his fishing business at the age of 17.

He says the road has brought Mangalla closer to the market in Juba.

“We are happy about the road because the road is now ok. Our cars can’t get stuck again, they can reach safely and they can’t spoil. There is no insecurity. The place is now safe and Juba is even closer now,” Garang Riak said.

Jacob Nyinakujai from Jonglei has been a fish trader since 2013. He said he is so happy for the construction of the road that he said has improved their business.

“We are happy with the tarmacked road. Now, we are not worried about dry fish getting destroyed because of bad roads. We are taking the dry fish to Arua in Uganda, it’s a long distance. But since part of the road has been tarmacked, we have no problem,” Jacob said.

South Sudan has only around 300 kilometers of paved roads of which a third are in the capital city of Juba.

The 192-km Juba-Nimule highway is one of the paved roads in the country, costing US$ 220m to build.

Road linking South Sudan’s northern town, Renk, is also tarmacked.

In 2020, the government has embarked on a road construction project that will see the road networks linking Juba to Bor in Jonglei state and Rumbek in Lakes state constructed.

China’s Exim Bank will make available US$ 1bn for the project.