Strategic MoU signed to develop river and dry ports in South Sudan

An important Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing ceremony took place at Red Sea World between Mr. Aboubaker Omar Hadi, Chairman of the Djibouti Ports and Free Zones Authority, and His Honourable Dr. Lam Akol Ajawin, Minister of Transport of the Republic of South Sudan, in the presence of H.E. Mr. Hassan Houmed Ibrahim, Minister of Infrastructure and Transport of the Republic of Djibouti.

This MoU represents a milestone in strengthening bilateral cooperation and fostering regional connectivity. The agreement focuses on the investment and development of White Nile river ports and dry ports in South Sudan, which will enhance trade facilitation, logistics integration, and economic development between the two nations and to reach the wider African Great Lakes Region, in line with the Transafrica Corridor framework.

The agreement forms part of the “White Nile Corridor” development and seeks to capitalize on two strategic multimodal logistics corridors serving South Sudan through an integrated road and river barge network:
Corridor from Djibouti Ports: Road transport along RN1 – Addis Ababa – Jimma – Gambella – Nasir; followed by river barge transport via the Sobat River → White Nile → Malakal → Juba.
Corridor from Port Sudan: Road transport along Port Sudan – Kassala – Gadaref – Kosti; followed by river barge transport southbound on the White Nile from Kosti to Juba via Malakal.

These corridors will be complemented by sea–air cargo solutions via Djibouti Ports to handle high-value, time-critical shipments originating from Far East Asia.
During their visit, the South Sudanese delegation toured several strategic facilities:
At the Société de Gestion du Terminal à Conteneurs de Doraleh (SGTD), they received a comprehensive presentation on the port’s state-of-the-art operations, handling capacity, and performance standards.

At the Djibouti Damerjog Industrial Park, the Chairman presented the Damerjog Liquid Bulk Port (DLBP), a strategic facility currently under commissioning, which is expected to serve as a key export gateway for South Sudan’s crude oil.

At the Djibouti International Free Trade Zone (DIFTZ), the delegation visited the logistics platform acquired by South Sudan to support and facilitate the country’s trade flows.