A section of the Kenya - South Sudan Link road - courtesy

South Sudan is set to commence construction of the Juba-Nadapal highway and rehabilitation of the potholes-infested Juba-Nimule Road, said the Vice President for Infrastructure.

Taban Deng Gai made the remarks at the conclusion of the Juba Economic Forum held under the theme “Infrastructure Investment for Sustainable Development.”

According to Taban, the government is engaging with the World Bank and development partners to help raise funds for the construction of the Juba-Nadapal Road.

“On the issue of Juba-Nadapal, we are discussing with the World Bank,” Taban said.

“There are simple technicalities that were not supposed to delay that road. Very simple things, it’s about personnel, the people to work on that road,” he said.

“The Minister of Roads and Bridges is resolving it with the World Bank soon because that road is supported by the World Bank.”

“You can see there are things that you can implement immediately even in the difficult sector like infrastructure that needs a lot of resources.”

The Vice President also says the contractor rebuilding the Juba-Nimule highway will soon take off.

He pointed out that the constructor will not charge the government but road users through what he calls Value of Time (VOT).

“On the issue of the Juba-Nimule Road, we are discussing with an investor who wants to operate with VOT,” Taban said.

“They don’t want money from us, but they want to charge you, the user of the road, including the government, the VOT. In principle, we have agreed with them,” he said.