Chinese experts start training of South Sudanese on construction of roads and bridges 

South Sudanese officials and engineers are currently attending training seminar sponsored by the Chinese government through it’s ministry of commerce to enhance their skills on road and bridge construction.

The 14-day online training which commenced on Wednesday till June 28, is organized by experts from Beijing JiaotongUniversity.

Simon Mijok Mijak, minister of roads and bridges, said during the opening ceremony of the training seminar that it provides opportunity for South Sudanese technicians to share experiences and learn from their Chinese counterparts.

“We are happy to take the example of the People’s Republic of China in mobilizing the human capital and this is the secret of transformation which China did,” Mijok said in Juba.

“I attended two seminars in the Academy for International Business Officials (AIBO) center, so to have this function today is a great achievement for our relations with the People’s Republic of China,” he added.

Henry Jenaro Amok, project manager in the ministry of roads and bridges, said that the training being attended by 25 officials from the ministry of roads and bridges will help them acquire crucial knowledge on construction and maintenance of roads and bridges in the country.

“This seminar will provide us not only with essential knowledge but also provide great opportunity to share experience on both technical and regulatory issues,” Jenaro said.

Ma Wenjun, charge d’affaires of the Chinese embassy in South Sudan, said that the Chinese government for the past decade through it’s ministry of commerce has organized a series of bilateral seminars and workshops together with the government of South Sudan at senior level and technical level.

He disclosed that these bilateral seminars have over the years been attended by more than 5,000 officials and personnel.

Ma added that China will continue to play constructive role and support South Sudan’s peace and development with concrete actions in order to jointly build a community with a shared future for mankind.

During the seminar, experts and scholars in the field of road and bridge construction will give lectures to participants, and participants will be arranged to have discussions and exchanges with professors.

The main lectures include, history of bridge development in China, transportation landscape and environmental design, building materials for road and bridge, road engineering surveying, sub-grade engineering, pavement engineering, bridge engineering construction technology, and smart highway.

China has already assisted and undertaken several road and bridge construction projects in South Sudan, including the Juba-Rumbek highway reconstruction project and the Jur River bridge project in Wau.

The Juba-Rumbek highway with a total length of 392 km is the highest priority infrastructure project being undertaken by Chinese company Shandong Hi-Speed Co. Ltd in South Sudan.