Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Ministry of Transport have signed an agreement for the construction of the Juba Riverport to boost water transportation in the country.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Sagara Fujuki, JICA Chief Representative, said the construction of the port was agreed upon years ago between the government and JICA but it was disrupted by the conflict.
“This time, the Japanese experts came and successfully assessed the port. When they come again, we shall discuss with the government how the work will start hopefully next August 2022, ” Fuyuki told journalists.
“The construction will take another two years and we are going to deal with only the Juba river port,” he added.
The Acting Undersecretary for the Ministry of Transport, Anna Gista Duku, lauded JICA for the assistance, saying it will transform water transportation between Juba and other states.
She said that they hope that the projects will bear fruit.
“This is very important for us because it will facilitate the movement of goods and people who use water transport, and we shall be able to connect and share trade with other countries,” Duku stressed.
Last week, JICA and the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation signed the Record of Discussion (R/D) for the Juba City Clean Water Supply Project.
The purpose of the project was to improve the capacity of operation and maintenance of the water supply facility.
The project that will kick off in 2022 will include building the capacity of the South Sudan Water Urban Cooperation (SSWUC) staff to ensure effective management of water supply. particularly in Juba City.
It is expected to start in March next year and will end in 2025.
JICA water project cooperation in the South began in 2012, and was intended to be completed in a few years, but was interrupted twice by the December 2013 and July 2016 wars.
According to the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, more than half of the country’s population still has no access to safe and clean drinking water, while only about 40 per cent of the urban population has it.
It remains ironic that Juba residents still drink raw River Nile water supplied by water tankers, which makes them susceptible to water-borne diseases despite living on the shores of the River Nile.
Since the signing of the revitalised peace agreement that restored peace and stability in the country, JICA has resumed most of its previous projects that were destroyed in the 2016 conflict.
Last month, the agency, in collaboration with the national ministry of agriculture and food security, signed another project to boost food security in the country.
The project will be implemented by the government of Central Equatoria State as a pilot to be extended to other states across the country.
It will cover areas of Rejaf, Luri, Ladu, and Kondokoro payams, where the farmers will be supported to grow vegetables, engage in poultry farming, mushroom production, horticulture, and aquaculture.