Uganda’s government has stated that it will revitalise the Juba-Nimule Road in order to strengthen the economy.
This decision was made in response to a request from Ugandan traders who claimed that the poor quality of the road was costing them money.
According to Othman Twaha, Uganda South Sudan Traders’ Association spokesperson, the Ugandan government was given 17 hectares of land to lease for 29 years.
“The lease will end in 2042, although it has some challenges where we need the government of Uganda to intervene and address issues of drainage when it rains,” Othman said.
He asked for assistance from the government to facilitate the flow of goods along the Juba-Nimule Road, as the market plays a significant role in the country’s economy.
According to Ramathan Ggobi, Uganda’s Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Finance, the government is thinking of building roads in South Sudan to facilitate trade between the two countries.
“This is something we are going to look into again with our government and the responsible ministries of work. And we shall have a conversation as a government and see whether we can replicate what we are doing in Congo, and we will build that road,” Ramathan said.
He said that the roads that the Ugandan government constructs in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are not for the DRC; rather, they belong to Uganda because goods will pass through them.
“In certain cases, they even make more financial sense than some of the roads we simply build in places where we won’t see a return on our investment,” he said.
The Juba-Nimule Road is a vital cross-border trade route that supports both Uganda’s and South Sudan’s economic development by facilitating the movement of goods, agricultural products, consumables, and non-consumable supplies.
