The Japanese International Cooperation Agency promised to resume all the projects that had been suspended because of the 2016 conflict.
JICA and the government had signed many deals on water and agricultural projects, including the construction of Freedom Bridge, but they were suspended after the Japanese engineers went back to their country during the conflict.
Among them is the solid waste management system under the Juba Clean Project that will also begin next year.
Speaking during the signing ceremony of the Record Discussion for the Juba Clean project, the Chief Executive Representative of the Japanese International Cooperation Agency, Sagara Fuyuki, said that the Japanese government was planning to send engineers and other experts to come and continue working on all the projects over the next year.
“We had suspended working on some of the projects because of the war, but we, hopefully, by next year, will be able to start them and we will be able to finish them in four years to come,” Fuyuki said.
“We are committed to contributing to the development of this country, which is necessary for the improvement of service delivery to the people of South Sudan,” he added.
He said for the solid waste management system, JICA is going to bring 30 trucks and 10 machines, and the project will be implemented by Juba City Council.
The Undersecretary in the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Joseph Africano Bartel, said that the government is committed to supporting all the projects agreed on by JICA so that services can be delivered to the people.
He said all the projects will start with Juba as the capital city of the nation and will be extended to major towns in the states if all the projects go successfully.
He said the war has interrupted all the ongoing projects, but as peace comes, there is a need to revise all of them, not only with JICA but also with other organisations committed to developing South Sudan.
This year alone, JICA has signed many records of discussion for more than five big projects that include improvement of water supply in Juba, the building of Juba bridge [Freedom bridge], construction of Juba Riverport, improvement of agriculture in Central Equatoria State and improvement of sports activities in the country.
JICA helps in formulating projects that would help in the reconstruction and development of communities and the building of peace in the country. It is a Japanese government’s development agency that offers developmental assistance to the government of Japan and assists in the economic and social growth of developing countries, and the promotion of international cooperation.