Bird's Eye View of Gudele's suburb of Juba City - Credit: Koang Pal Chang/Eye Radio - Nov. 6, 2023

The World Bank has said it is reviewing multiple factors affecting urbanization across South Sudan.

These include; conflict, climate change, competitiveness, and capacity building.

This was revealed to the media after officials from the global financial institution met with authorities of the Juba City Council in Juba yesterday.

Carlos I. Mejia, an urban economist with the World Bank said the review will look at the main challenges in urbanization in the country.

Mejia added the outcome of the report is expected to come up with a list of recommendations, and policy reforms that can serve as a roadmap.

He explained the four major pillars the review will focus on.

“One is conflict, how conflict impacts urbanization, then climate change, so what are the impacts and the effects of floods and droughts in terms of migration, and the links with the series,” Carlos said.

“The third is in terms of competitiveness, so we are going to be looking at job creation, how to increase productivity in the series, the service provision, and increase in the investment in infrastructure,” he said.

“Lastly, the fourth pillar is on the capacity that we can finance the local government at the national level and how to strengthen this capacity.”

According to city mayor Flora Gabriel, her leadership presented challenges and other priorities within the national capital to the World Bank.

“The Bank personnel [came to meet with us] concerning our urban city development areas within Juba City and we have deliberated in so many areas from our strategic plan,” said Flora.

“We have given them our challenges and other priorities within Juba city, and this is the first meeting and we are going to deliberate on it with the stakeholders,” she said.

“We have started what we are going to work with the World Bank and other stakeholders for the development of Juba city through our different areas of the strategic plan.”

The meeting between the Juba City Council and the World Bank was the first of its kind.