APA-Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) Ethiopia and South Sudan have signed an agreement to construct a major highway linking the two neighboring countries, APA can report.
State Minister of Finance, Eyob Tekalign and South Sudanese Finance Minister, Dier Tong Ngor signed the agreement on Thursday for the construction of the road which connects Western Ethiopia with North eastern South Sudan in Juba.
President Salva Kiir Mayardit who witnessed the signing ceremony, said the highway project would strengthen economic ties as well as enhance the free movement of people and goods in the Horn of Africa.
“Our hope is to move together to help one another; this is what our people want to see,” the President said.
“This is a strategic project that connects our people and serves their needs.”
The construction project is named Paloch – Mathiang – Maiwut – Pagak Road.
Ethiopia’s State Minister of Finance described the project as a significant and historic development.
The construction of this road will not only provide seamless commercial connectivity but also rectify the artificial border separation and bring the people of two sisterly countries closer, Eyob said.
In Juba, two sides also exchanged views on enhancing infrastructure development, including electricity, oil pipelines, and other components that accelerate regional economic integration, according to the foreign ministry of Ethiopia.
The Ethiopian delegation went to South Sudan’s capital for the third LAPSSET Corridor Program Ministerial Meeting..
MG/as/APA