South Sudan launches $267 million electricity link with Uganda

South Sudan has launched a $267 million electricity interconnection project with Uganda, aimed at improving power supply and expanding access to electricity across the country. The Ministry of Finance and Planning says the project, supported by the African Development Bank, is intended to make electricity more available, reliable and affordable for households and businesses. The initiative forms part of regional efforts to integrate electricity networks under the East African Power Pool, allowing countries to trade power across borders.

According to the ministry, electricity imported from Uganda was commissioned in the border town of Nimule, in Eastern Equatoria State, before the dissolution of the Revitalised Transitional Government of National Unity on 22 September. The commissioning marked progress in implementing an electricity agreement between the two countries, which aims to extend power connections to Juba and other major towns in South Sudan. Speaking at the project launch, the Undersecretary for Planning at the Ministry of Finance and Planning, Benjamin Ayali Koyongwa, thanked the African Development Bank and other development partners for supporting the initiative. Fouzia Haji, the African Development Bank’s representative, said electricity was essential for households and businesses, adding that the project was expected to support…