The Minister of Trade and Industry, Atong Kuol Manyang, met on Monday with the Commissioner General of the South Sudan Revenue Authority (SSRA), William Anyuon Kuol, to coordinate implementation of the project, which officials say is critical for easing bottlenecks and strengthening customs controls.
The discussions focused on rolling out the OSBP as a flagship reform combining infrastructure with digital border management, including customs automation, electronic clearance, and coordinated inspections by multiple agencies.
The four-year project, valued at $10.8 million (about €10 million), will initially target the Nimule border crossing with Uganda — South Sudan’s main commercial gateway and a chokepoint for imports of food, fuel and consumer goods.
Funded by the European Union under its Global Gateway strategy, the initiative is supported technically and infrastructurally by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and TradeMark Africa.
Officials say the OSBP is designed to bring customs, immigration, security and regulatory agencies under one roof, allowing for shared data, coordinated inspections and faster clearance of goods — a model that relies heavily on interoperable digital systems rather than paper-based processing.
The project is expected to reduce waiting times, limit discretionary human intervention and improve revenue collection, as South Sudan continues to expand digital cargo tracking and electronic customs systems amid broader digital public infrastructure reforms.
The initiative is also intended to strengthen regional trade along the Cairo–Khartoum–Juba–Kampala corridor, one of East Africa’s key transport routes. Under the framework agreed at the meeting, the Ministry of Trade and Industry will oversee implementation in close coordination with the SSRA.
Speaking during the meeting, Manyang highlighted the importance of institutional cooperation in delivering the project.
“Hon. Anyuon’s previous experience as the Minister of Trade and Industry provides him with a unique understanding of the challenges the Ministry faces, making the SSRA’s support even more impactful,” Manyang said.
The talks followed the recent approval of the project’s design, which includes a climate-resilient administration building and a modern market dedicated to women and youth engaged in small-scale cross-border trade — groups often most affected by border delays and informal fees.
Anyuon reaffirmed the SSRA’s readiness to support the initiative, saying the authority would prioritise trade facilitation and streamline systems to increase government revenue.
Officials said the next step will be a joint site visit to Nimule before the end of January 2026 to align construction schedules, system integration and agency coordination.
South Sudan continues to face high trade costs driven by weak transport infrastructure, slow border processing and fragmented digital systems, factors that inflate consumer prices and constrain private sector growth.
Government officials say the EU-funded OSBP is intended not only to improve physical border infrastructure but also to embed digital public goods — such as automated customs, data sharing and cargo tracking — into daily border operations, laying the groundwork for more transparent and predictable trade management.
