South Sudan unveils massive road construction work plan

By Richard Ruati

December 15, 2009 (JUBA) — The GOSS ministry of Transport and Road has unveiled massive road construction work plan for the year 2010, with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through its Sudan Infrastructure Services Project and the implementing contractor is the Louis Berger Group (LBG).

Objectives for these Activities initiated in 2008/2009 were to establish a Road Authority, improve planning capacity, improve management and supervision of road construction contracts, and facilitate coordination with donors and collaboration with the States to undertake road network improvements.

The Government of Southern Sudan Ministry of Transport and Roads will lead the national program for improving Southern Sudan’s road network through strategic planning and policy management directed by the Directorate for Roads and Bridges and implementation of road and bridge projects by the Road Authority.

Road Maintenance of selected trunk roads by MTR and WFP aims at: Carrying out routine & periodic maintenance & spot improvement works on 1549 km of trunk road. The total cost will be US $ 36 million

According to LBG officials – The 2010 Work Plan Conference is to present for dissemination, the Task Order 8 Annual Work Plan that will be implemented with close partnership with MTR and State Ministries of Physical Infrastructure (SMPIs). Participation in the workshop by development partners and implementing agencies other than USAID, which includes World Bank, JICA, UNDP, EU, and UNOPS, and WFP, is important to avoid duplication of activities and waste of resources. LBG plans to carry Assistance to MTR and the Establishment of Road Agency, Capacity Building for State Ministries of Physical Infrastructure Capacity Building for Local Contractors.
MTR establish Road Safety Program.

The workshop underlined the activities to be carried and responsibilities to be shared with the beneficiaries, implementer, donor, and other agencies. Key output from the workshop will be awareness, commitment, collaboration, cooperation, and improve participation, especially by MTR and SMPI on implementation of the USAID support program. The MTR and SMPI will know their specific roles and expected level of performance. The workshop was aimed to reduce possible conflict on implementation of similar programmes by the development partners and GOSS, and instead work complimentarily.

Transport and Road minister in the Semi-autonomous Government of south Sudan, H.E Hon Anthony Lino Makana on Monday said that the Government and its donor partners has geared up to launch one of the biggest road construction and development program in the region.

He said that the work plan would be stepped up so as to achieve the target of 7000 km per year.

“Of course before one embarks on any activity he/she must plan on what to do as work plan is a road map to the implementation of any activity in a given institution,” adding that, a house cannot be constructed before its design, added the minister.

He lamented that, “should the work plan is implemented fully, this will make life easier for the common men, reduce business cost and improve the economy of the less privileged in southern Sudan.

“[We] will construct next year more roads than the total length completed in 2009” he said.

The minister urged the donors and the implementing partners to coordinate and cooperate in the activity of road construction.

To achieve the target, he laid stress on the capacity building, both within MTR and also of the Local Contractors and technical consultants. Terming infrastructure as the biggest challenge in the next years to come, he said “roads would play an important role in infrastructure development as it affects the lives of all and is an important component of economy.”

Speaking during the landmark work plan conference, Edward Flint, the Task Order No. 8 Manager of LBG said, “More focus will be on mainly the training of local contractors and improving the institutional ability of the Ministry’s staff the road construction and maintenance contracts.”

He pointed that, “The LBG will bring forward all the stakeholders in the ten states of southern Sudan to step up efforts economic growth and recovery in southern Sudan.”

He further said, the work plan conference is also a way to evaluate and carry forward the most demanding activities of road construction and maintenance.

Terrence Kramer is the USAID advisor on the Road Construction, he accorded special thanks to the Louis Berger Group for having organized the 2010 MTR work plan conference and for taking lead in the road programmes in south Sudan.

Kramer stressed that, “road construction and maintenance in southern is opening up more employment, and the road programs is the largest employer in south Sudan.”

Elaborating on this, he said “It reduces vehicle operation cost and makes road transport more efficient, adding that, the roads will preserve the investments that the Government of Southern Sudan and the Communities have already invested or are planning to invest in the region.

The USAID official reached out to the ministry officials to “redouble efforts for the realization of the joint policy and implementation goals and the establishment of Road Agency in 2010.

The Task Order 8 in the second year, 2009/2010, will continue to support and facilitate projects aimed to further MTR’s ability to sustain management and operation of their strategic plan while continuing to improve the States Ministries of Physical Infrastructure (SMPIs) skills and abilities to budget and implement road and bridge projects.

(ST)