Africa-Press – South-Sudan. The newly appointed Minister of Transport has pledged to work hard to ensure South Sudan gains full control of its airspace, describing it as a key component of the country’s sovereignty.
“We are going to work hard to see that we take control of our airspace, which is a very important system of our nation’s sovereignty,” Dr Lam Akol said at his reception into office on Wednesday
Dr. Lam Akol Ajawin said that despite South Sudan gaining independence nearly 14 years ago, the country has yet to fully manage its airspace, which remains under the control of Sudan.
In an address on Wednesday, the minister reiterated the need to expedite efforts to take full charge of the country’s airspace.
“It is a shame that our airspace has been controlled by our predecessor country for 20 years now.”
Dr. Akol added that South Sudan must also ensure that professionals appointed to manage the aviation sector are fully qualified.
“It is not a question of some people who go and want to find positions and then, you know, they are fitted into this thing like other people who are fitted in other institutions,” he added.
In January 2024, former Minister of Transport Madut Biar said the country was close to assuming full control of its upper airspace, following the near-completion of a Chinese-built Air Traffic Management System.
The project, which began in 2020, faced delays in 2022 after the government reportedly failed to meet payment deadlines.
Under the agreement with China Harbor Engineering Company, the government was to pay 6.2 million US dollars every January and July.
According to the agreement, the South Sudanese government was required to pay the company $6.2 million every January 21st and July 21st.
Dr. Lam also pointed to the need to modernize Juba International Airport and other regional airports, which he said were crucial for both domestic and international connectivity.
He called for collective responsibility and coordination across government institutions to ensure the success of the country’s transport infrastructure plans.
Dr. Lam was appointed Minister of Transport earlier this month, replacing Madut Biar in a cabinet reshuffle announced by President Salva Kiir.
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