Although South Sudan remains a
predominantly rural country, its urban areas—particularly Juba—are growing
rapidly. Juba, the current capitol and largest city of the country, is
estimated to have around 400,000 people living there, double the amount from
2005. All the years of the civil war have severely damaged the basic
organization of the city. This has caused many people to leave for a safer area
in Uganda, Juba’s neighboring city, but with the stability returning, so are
the people. This appears to have put Juba the main focal point for future
economic growth. Nevertheless, South Sudan’s government plans to go through with a proposal put forward last year
to move the country’s capital 125 miles north to what is now the rural location
of Ramciel.
The move is
shown to cost around $10 billion and take around 20 years. All of the sewage,
water, and electrical systems will have to built from scratch, transportation
to other regions is very limited, and the governmental buildings still have to
be built. Critics have disapproved this relocation plan mostly for the cost,
which they see as ridiculous given the country’s current state of poverty.
Government officials defend the plan by saying all of Juba’s flaws are too big
and relocation is a necessity.
I understand where the critics are coming from because why put the country in more debt when they can just try to move forward with what they have. But if just moving it would cost less then all the necessary repairs and instalments in Juba then it is probably the better idea.
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