Yiep JosephYiep Joseph
Africa-Press – South-Sudan. The Ebony Center for Strategic Studies has released a report terming Economic Cluster’s decision to purchase water tankers a misguided project.
The research centre released a report titled “A Critical Look at South Sudan’s Misallocation of Resources”, where it posited that the project would end up being a white elephant.
It wondered whether the cluster had explored other avenues for water supply in the city like financing the existing projects to boost their production.
“Could this amount of $9.0 million be directed to accelerating the completion of the JICA-funded water project for Juba?” it posed.
The center, however, proposed that the City Council be at the forefront of evaluating and identifying sustainable and affordable water supplies in Juba.
“The Juba City Council (i.e., government) and not the RTGoNU must, in our view, play a pivotal role in this evaluation, bearing in mind the opportunity cost of choosing one investment over another and the overarching need for sustainable water provision for the citizens of Juba City and surrounding counties,” the statement.
The center argued that the City Council should work together with the business community to ensure that basic services are provided in the city.
“We think that the Mayor of Juba City and his government should seek partnership with the Chamber of Commerce in the provision of basic services to all the residents of Juba City,” it observed.
It underscored the need for the government to explore alternative water supplies within the overall framework of the Public Financial Management (PFM) system.
“We, therefore, appeal to the Economic Cluster of RTGoNU to take note of the opportunity cost of not respecting the PFM procedures.”
According to the body, the cluster, led by the Vice President Dr James Wani Igga, should redirect the $9 million earmarked for this project into other areas of importance like infrastructure.
Source: The City Review South Sudan
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