Southern Sudan In Urgent Need For Roads Cash

South Sudan’s development is lagging because of a lack of cash to build new roads in the war-ravaged region likely to become the world’s newest nation state in five months, the transport minister said on Tuesday.

In 2005 when north and south Sudan signed a deal to end Africa’s longest civil war, the south was one of the poorest regions on earth with little infrastructure or services.

Roads were made a priority by the semi-autonomous region’s government but lack of funds has hindered progress.

"Every day I receive an average of three to five (international) companies who want to do the roads but I tell them we don’t have money," said Anthony Makana, the south’s minister for roads and transport.

"To connect all major towns in southern Sudan we need 13,000 km (8,000 miles) of roads … we need five to six billion dollars to Tarmac about 80 percent of that," he said.

Makana said only three towns had asphalt roads- the capital Juba has 43 km (27 miles) , and regional centres Wau and Malakal have 17 km (11 miles) between them.

Dirt roads crisscross the country, but these quickly deteriorate in the rainy season.

"My budget is 463 million Sudanese pounds ($195 million) for this year. It is the second biggest budget after security," Makana said.

"But I don’t see this money … about 70 percent of the budget goes to the companies who have already done work. That is why you may see in some places we are lagging behind in terms of addressing the challenges of infrastructure."

He said what remained of the budget after making payments to these companies was spent on rehabilitating dirt roads worn by rain and traffic. New projects are on the backburner.

Makana urged donors to dedicate more funds as quickly as possible to building roads, a necessity before work could begin on constructing the infra structure across the south, which will vote in a referendum on independence on Jan. 9, 2010. Most analysts believe the south will secede.

If the south secedes, Makana said he hoped more donor funds would appear, targeting the roads as a priority.

Southern officials and aid agencies have in the past criticised the World Bank-led programme to administer donor money to the south as cumbersome and complex, saying it contributed to the slow development of the south post peace.

The World Bank admits there was a slow start to the programme but says major achievements have since been made including rehabilitating 363 km (227 miles) of roads and maintaining 945 km (590 miles).

(Editing by Opheera McDoom)