South Sudan intends to fully utilize the ports of Mombasa and Dar-es-salaam in Kenya and Tanzania, respectively.
That comes from the visit by the President of South Sudan Business Community and Employers Federation Ayii Duang Ayii to the East African Business Council in Arusha.
The delegation from Juba also comprised of the South Sudanese Member of the East African Legislative Assembly Thomas Dut Gatkek, and Engineer Jalal Abdalla Doka, the Deputy Secretary-General of South Sudan Business Community and Employers.
The entourage mission was to deepen cooperation and partnership in strategic areas in order to boost trade and investment between South Sudan and the other six countries currently forming the East African Community.
According to Ayii Duang, South Sudan is committed to not only purchasing products made in East Africa, but also effectively utilizing the ports of Dar es Salaam and Mombasa as the Indian Oceanic gateways connecting the Regional bloc.
But latest development in Tanzania is to the effect that the expansion and upgrading of the other Northern Port of Tanga is almost complete and that should be even more convenient to Juba than Dar-es-salaam.
The delegation from Juba also used the occasion to welcome the business community in Tanzania to invest in South Sudan because the South Sudan Business Community and Employers Federation aims at linking business people from the other East African countries to invest in the country.
Chief Executive Officer for the East African Business Council, John Bosco Kalisa, expressed gratitude to the President of South Sudan, Salva Kiir Mayardit and his Government for waiving visa fees for East Africa and safeguarding border points such as the Nimule-Juba highway.
The discussions also focused on the implementation of the EAC Single Customs Territory by the Republic of South Sudan to quicken the clearance of cargo at the Elegu-Nimule border.
It seems the South Sudan Business Community and Employers Federation committed to purchase a cargo scanner to be deployed at the Elegu-Nimule border in a bid to facilitate cross-border trade and avoid manual verification.
South Sudan joined the East African Community in April 2016.
In 2020 South Sudan’s exports to the other EAC Partner States amounted to USD 87 million while imports reached USD 573 million.
In 2016 South Sudan’s exports and imports to the EAC Partner States were USD 2.6 million and USD 400 million respectively according to the International Trade Centre.
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