Ambitious electricity project in Juba
By Ohiyok D. Oduho
April 23, 2007 — Events have revealed that the Government of South Sudan (GoSS) has been working round the clock and exerting genuine efforts to improve the electricity supply in Juba town. Dr Riek Machar, the Vice-President of GoSS, had declared in February that the new electricity network in Juba was not only nearing completion but would be ready by March 2007.
Electricity should have indeed been the responsibility of GoSS, which should view its importance as a pre-requisite to development in South Sudan. Without electricity no welding machines could operate. The use of welding machines is known in the development, especially in the field of construction and heavy industries. Without electricity telecommunications network cannot function and the importance of telecommunications in development is known. Without electricity airports cannot operate satisfactorily and the usefulness of airports in development is known. Without electricity insecurity heightens because wrong elements use the darkness to rob peoples’ properties, rape girls and women, and generally destabilize the government of the day.
In early March 2007, the Director of Juba power station was reported to have been interviewed in Juba by one of the radio stations to explain why the project failed. In his interview, he revealed that the generators that were purchased by GoSS to improve the electricity supply in Juba blew up all the transformers that were already fitted during the first testing of the power supply lines. When asked how such new transformers could blow? He said that the transformers were not meant to resist the power supply generated by the new generators. In other words, the long-awaited power supply in Juba is likely to take more time than expected.
The residence of Juba must be disappointed with this latest development. Some of them like Magdi Abbas, the Manager of Sudan’s Air West commercial airline in Juba, were so enthusiastic about the progress in the GoSS electricity project and had this to say in January 2007: “I expect (that) in a few months we will have electricity everywhere”, (http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?page=imprimable&id_article=20033). Electricity is not everywhere in Juba and peoeple are filling the blanks about what has really befallen the ambitious project?
The story of the Engineer, who was simply narrating it for the public interest, sends very bad signals to those who have interest in assisting the South in its development efforts. It is a clear display of corruption in public media.
How on earth could generators be purchased with transformers unable to sustain their capacities? Even if one assumes that the old transformers were used to test the new power lines without expertise surety that the transformers would sustain the new power output, is a promotion of ignorance. In our contemporary time with the necessary education acquired by South Sudanese over the years, this is a very primitive thing to hear, because a feasibility study is usually done before purchase. In this feasibility study, the type, capacity and output of each of these generators should have been ascertained and so would the transformers. Based on the feasibility study, the step-up and step-down transformers should then have been purchased.
However, it appears that something did go wrong and that should be investigated by the GoSS. Failure to investigate and understand the reasons for the failure of the project would promote corruption in GoSS. The power engineers in Juba have their share in the failure of the project because they were supposed to provide expert advice to the GoSS immediately on realizing that there were problems.
Meanwhile, the GoSS officials who either through agents or in persons purchased the equipment should also be investigated. If the truth about the failure of this project is not revealed, the same mistake is likely to be repeated.
GoSS needs electricity very badly in Juba in order for it to embark on its developmental projects and activities in various fields. Thus, the project should be revived and serious attention should be given to it and those assigned to deal with it supervised for the project to succeed.
* The author of this article is Ohiyok D. Oduho. He is a permanent columnist with Sudan Vision English Daily Newspaper. He can be reached on [email protected]