JUBA – South Sudan has launched a $267 million project to import electricity from Uganda, seeking to reduce reliance on expensive diesel generation and improve power supply to homes and businesses.
The Ministry of Finance and Planning and the African Development Bank (AfDB) launched the project in Juba on Tuesday, advancing a cross-border connection designed to link the capital to Uganda’s electricity grid.
The project involves a 299-kilometre, 400-kilovolt transmission line between Gumbo, near Juba, and Olwiyo in northern Uganda, passing through Nimule. It also includes new substations, upgrades to existing facilities and distribution networks intended to extend electricity access to consumers.
“The move is considered part of East Africa’s Power Pool integration, with AfDB reiterating its support for South Sudan’s efforts to import power from the neighboring Uganda,” the Ministry of Finance and Planning said in a statement.
The connection is expected to allow South Sudan to buy electricity generated in Uganda rather than rely as heavily on diesel-powered supply, which is costly. Uganda, in turn, gains another market for its available electricity.
The project is designed to enable an average annual exchange of 624 gigawatt-hours of electricity between the two countries and improve access for about 286,710 people in South Sudan, according to the African Development Fund. These are projected benefits once the infrastructure is operational.
Electricity imported from Uganda was commissioned in Nimule earlier this year, the ministry said, marking an initial step towards extending the connection to Juba and other major towns.
The wider project has been under development since the two countries signed a memorandum in 2015. Its implementation is coordinated by the Nile Equatorial Lakes Subsidiary Action Program, part of the Nile Basin Initiative, with financing from development partners and the two governments.
The African Development Fund approved $153.66 million for the project in December 2024, including a $119.21 million loan for Uganda and a $32.50 million grant for South Sudan. A further $1.95 million grant was allocated to the Nile Basin Initiative. The European Union is providing a €48.93 million grant for South Sudan, while Uganda has committed matching funds.
The ministry put the project’s cost at $267 million, higher than the $260 million estimate published by the African Development Fund. The ministry did not explain the difference.
Speaking at the launch, Undersecretary for Planning Benjamin Ayali Koyongwa thanked the AfDB and other development partners for their continued cooperation with the government.
AfDB representative Fouzia Haji said electricity was important for households and businesses and that the project was expected to support economic development in both countries.
