VP Taban Deng Gai - Courtesy

The Vice President for the Infrastructure Cluster, Gen. Taban Deng Gai, has called for urgent reforms to Juba’s land policies, warning that the current tenure system restricts investment, limits access to bank loans, and slows national urban development.

Speaking in Juba, Gen. Taban urged the government to review land tenure arrangements. He noted that both investors and young South Sudanese entrepreneurs face significant hurdles when attempting to use land titles as collateral to secure commercial credit.

Gen. Taban stressed that South Sudan should adopt effective land management and urban planning practices from regional neighbors like Kenya and Uganda, leveraging the country’s membership in the East African Community to modernize its framework.

Highlighting institutional bottlenecks in the capital, the Vice President suggested that the government consider relocating the national capital to Ramciel if Juba’s land policies cannot be reformed.

He argued that longer and more secure lease periods would provide foreign and local investors with the necessary confidence to execute major capital projects while enabling young citizens to leverage property for business financing.

“When you want to take a loan in the bank, you must give collateral for that loan,” Gen. Taban said. “And the bank collateral with any banking entity is always land. There’s a wrong policy on land in Juba, that’s why I wish we had moved to Ramciel so that we change the policies of land. You cannot give an investor a collateral of land for 20 or 30 years. Suppose he or she invested 10 million in your land—can a hotel return such a huge investment in 20 years?”

He added that commercial banks currently lack secure guarantees to extend credit, further constraining economic growth. “The best security is land. So with this policy of Juba, I think it’s better we move away from Juba; otherwise, South Sudan will not develop.”

Gen. Taban concluded that reforming land governance and strengthening collateral security remain essential steps to expanding financial access, attracting foreign direct investment, and supporting long-term economic stability across South Sudan.