Strategic Partnership between WFP and Jonglei State
Set to break ground in mid-October 2025, the new road programme unites the World Food Programme with the Government of Jonglei State, reflecting a deliberate push for resilient infrastructure across South Sudan.
During a briefing in Bor, WFP engineers told state officials that contractors will be mobilised before the end of September, clearing the way for heavy machinery to roll by mid-October and for the initial corridors to open in the 2026 dry season.
From Bor to the Counties: Scope and Scale
The project will surface critical corridors linking Bor town with multiple counties, install box culverts for drainage, and create two airstrips that widen humanitarian aviation reach.
Economic and Humanitarian Payoffs
The paved corridors are expected to slash travel times, lower transport costs for sorghum and cattle, and let aid trucks reach previously isolated villages before seasonal floods. Officials hope the smoother movement of goods and people will trigger fresh investment and job creation.
Voices from the Field
“This is a people’s project,” Governor Riek Gai Kok told reporters, pledging personal oversight and the hiring of local supervisors to cement community ownership. WFP field chief Mohammed Satti added, “We are one team with the state; the trust is mutual and practical.”
Timeline and Oversight
WFP Head of Engineering Allan Orimba projected that mobilisation of contractors by late September would lead to visible progress within weeks. Continuous monitoring, he noted, will align construction with the 2026 infrastructure portfolio and secure long-term durability through quality drainage solutions.
Looking Ahead
If deadlines hold, Jonglei’s new arteries could be operational before the 2026 rains, weaving a stronger economic fabric across the state and demonstrating how targeted partnerships can deliver tangible peace dividends in South Sudan.