Jonglei authorities to enhance business sector

June 23, 2014 (BOR) – The finance ministry in South Sudan’s Jonglei state has unveiled plans uplift the business sector in order to improve revenue generation.

Already, officials disclosed, the state that government has plans to renovate Jonglei state water factory, which was destroyed during the late December violence in the region.

“The factory has spent over 50,000 SSP [South Sudanese Pounds] on repair of broken machines and to buy stolen parts of the machines”, revealed the acting factory manager, Nyok Guguei.

Full production, he however said, would immediately resume once the missing equipments are obtained.

The state government owns 51% shares in the water plant, which was established by Joint Access Kilobytes two years ago. The facility provides clean bottled water to citizens at affordable rates and generates revenues.

Last year, Jonglei state reportedly witnessed a rise in state revenue collection, owing to its rapidly improving medium and long term business ventures. Sadly, however, the state lost almost 90% of its revenues when opposition forces controlling the state destroyed most existing facilities.

Before the recent conflict, Bor town was developing slowly as the capital of South Sudan’s largest state following the signing of the 2005 peace deal with Khartoum, which ended the over two-decade civil war leading to its independence in July 2011.

Much of the town was, however, destroyed in the recent fighting, which saw the strategic town change hands four times between the opposition and pro-government forces.

(ST)