(ADDIS ABABA) – South Sudan has urged its Chinese and African partners to accelerate support for digital infrastructure projects across the continent, saying access to stable electricity and modern telecommunications remains a major barrier to economic growth.
The call was made on Friday by Engineer Thomas Gatkuoth Nyak, Undersecretary at the Ministry of ICT and Postal Services, while addressing the China – Africa Cooperation Summit in Addis Ababa. He said South Sudan is ready to modernise its digital systems but continues to struggle with unreliable power supply, which makes it difficult to expand internet access and build modern data networks.
Gatkuoth Nyak, who led the South Sudanese delegation to the summit, said digital transformation will remain slow unless Africa’s infrastructure challenges are addressed in parallel with technology investments. He appealed to Chinese technology firms and financial institutions to focus not only on equipment supply but also on energy solutions that can sustain digital platforms.
On the sidelines of the summit, the delegation met executives from Chinese telecommunications company Huawei. The discussions covered the company’s role in developing smart city projects, cloud services and national digital platforms in countries such as Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo and Ethiopia.
National Communication Authority Director General, Gieth Kon Mathiang, said Huawei shared lessons from its past deployments and expressed interest in supporting South Sudan’s digital architecture. He said the government is currently completing a national data centre in Juba and plans to position the capital as a smart city with support from global partners.
The authorities believe digital upgrades could lower service delivery costs, improve revenue collection and support small businesses through mobile based services. However, officials noted that South Sudan still relies on diesel-powered base stations and imported hardware, which increases operational expenses in the telecommunications sector.
A lack of consistent electricity supply has pushed investors to set up solar powered infrastructure in remote areas, but large scale urban projects remain dependent on fuel based generation.
| Key Digital Priorities for South Sudan | Current Status |
|---|---|
| National Data Centre | Under completion in Juba |
| Smart City Development | Planned for Juba with Huawei input |
| Power Supply for ICT | Mostly diesel-based, seeking alternative solutions |
| Regional Digital Cooperation | Engaged through China-Africa platforms |
South Sudan joins other African countries in calling for deeper public and private partnerships to modernise broadband networks, digital identity systems and e-governance tools.
With regional economies shifting towards online trade, e-learning and digital payments, the ICT Ministry says wants to avoid being left behind. Delegates at the summit said that if Chinese companies help deliver both electricity and connectivity solutions, South Sudan could leapfrog older systems and build new industries around cloud computing and digital logistics.