Japan contributes to help rebuilding South Sudan roads
January 29, 2008 (JUBA) — The government of Japan has granted US$12 million contribution to a UN WFP’s road repair and mine removal project supporting peace and recovery in southern Sudan.
The Japanese grant will be used to build 85 kilometres of new roads and maintain 595 kilometres of previously re-built roads, making it easier to deliver vital food assistance and ensuring the roads remain useable during the rainy season.
“This project started as a way to efficiently deliver food by road – but it has also opened up local markets and is helping to restore food independence for people returning to their communities. We are extremely grateful to Japan for supporting this effort,” said Kenro Oshidari, WFP Representative in Sudan.
Southern Sudan has 5,500 kilometres of main roads and a further 7,500 kilometres of feeder roads – most of them in a state of serious disrepair. Since 2004, WFP’s Emergency Road Repair and Demining Project has opened up more than 2,200 kilometres of roads and removed about 500 land mines and 230,000 unexploded ordnance left over after the 21-year civil war that ended with the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in January 2005.
About 3,100 Southern Sudanese have been employed on the roads project and a further 8,258 people participated in WFP “Food for Work” programmes connected to the project.
The roads to be repaired with the new Japanese grant stretch from the southern town of Yei near the Ugandan border northwards through the important commercial towns of Faraksika and Rumbek and then eastward to the town of Yirol, in Lakes State.
The WFP roads project is expected to continue until 2009, with a total budget of US$246 million. Once complete, it will be possible to travel by road from the southern borders of Sudan to Khartoum and onto Egypt for the first time in a generation.
(ST)
John Amule de Lokolong
Japan contributes to help rebuilding South Sudan roads
Well done Japaness Government i appreciate this contribution of yours to our land of SS.what we need is our minerals and resources must be use for development not for personal interest.roads,hospitals,schools,markets,urban areas,water resources,electricity,factories and many more to be imported and modern development to be made to all facilities as mentioned and etc.i want to remind you Mr Goss our region of SS has alot and alot of resources that can turn our nation or towns into another New york if we promise to.we need you to play the real fundamental principles with strong ambition to make a different not small different but Worldwide unforgettable changes Eg afortable public transport so that any one can travel free any where in Sudan,trains to deleiver goods or food any where in Sudan and many more Mr Goss i hope all this will happen throught our minerals.
Urbano Tito Tipo
Japan contributes to help rebuilding South Sudan roads
It is good news the South will receive 12 M US$ for road construction, but unfortunately, the money is going into the wrong hands. WFP is not a road construction company but only a UN humanitairan agencies. Soon they will come with projects like food for work project for road construction and the money will vanish without seeing a single road construction. The japanist should have contact the Ministry of Roads in GOSS, identify internation road companies, make bids and suprivision by both Japanist and GOSS engineers. Let us wait and see if WFP will construct a single road in South. This a bad offer from the begining. This is only becoming over ambicious for WFP to construct a road from Nimule to Wadi Halfa in the north. It is big joke of the year 2008.