South Sudan’s Transport Minister Rizik Zachariah Hassan on Wednesday tabled a new policy framework for the transport sector before the Transitional National Legislative Assembly, outlining measures to strengthen regulation, infrastructure, safety, technology and service delivery.
Presenting the framework for further consideration and approval, Hassan said the document comprised 27 chapters covering various aspects of the transport sector.
The framework focuses on 10 key areas, including legal and institutional frameworks, policy strategies, emerging technologies, capacity building, environmental protection, social and gender inclusion, financing, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation.
“Today I am presenting the policy framework of the transport sector,” Hassan told lawmakers, adding that the ministry had prepared two related documents.
Hassan said the transport sector currently had only one operational law, the Civil Aviation Act, while five other bills had been processed but had not yet come into force.
The bills cover railways, river transport, road safety, the South Sudan Airport Authority and accident investigation.
The minister also said his ministry had 409 vacant positions and that recruitment was under way following an employment process that began in December.
He said improving the skills of existing staff through training would also be necessary to strengthen the ministry’s performance.
“I think even the current functional workforce, they need a lot of training,” Hassan said.
The policy covers railways, waterways, road safety, oil pipelines and air transport. It also proposes measures to improve public and freight transport, parking management, urban and rural transport, school bus services, road freight and cross-border transport systems.
The ministry is also proposing the adoption of emerging technologies, including hybrid and electric vehicles, autonomous vehicles and cable transport systems.
The framework addresses environmental concerns, including climate change mitigation and the sector’s vulnerability to climate-related impacts.
It also incorporates gender and social inclusion, as well as proposed financing mechanisms for the development, maintenance and operation of transport infrastructure and services.
The framework proposes a governance structure covering political, regulatory and implementation functions, supported by monitoring and evaluation mechanisms based on performance indicators and measurable outcomes.
Hassan told lawmakers that the document was not yet final and remained open to further review and refinement.
“Today I am humbly placing this policy framework of the transport sector before you, subject for further development and refining,” he said.
South Sudan’s transport sector faces significant infrastructure and regulatory challenges, with limited road networks and river and aviation systems hampering movement of people and goods in the country.
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