South Sudan mulls urgent rehabilitation of JubaNimule highway to boost tax collection
The appeal came at the conclusion of a two-day inspection visit to the Nimule Border Post in Magwi County of South Sudan’s Eastern Equatoria State, where the SSRA leadership assessed customs operations, cargo handling facilities and measures to improve tax collection.
Speaking to journalists after touring the Nimule Customs Station, Rock City Parking Yard and Jebel Parking Yard, Deng said poor road conditions along the Juba–Nimule route continue to delay the movement of commercial trucks carrying imported goods into South Sudan.
“Today I conclude my visit to Nimule, and tomorrow morning I will drive back to Juba. One of the most important issues I will report is that the Juba–Nimule highway needs rehabilitation. Improving this road will facilitate the movement of trucks, vehicles, and goods, and the faster they move, the more revenue we will be able to collect,” Deng said.
He explained that prolonged travel times between Nimule and Juba slow customs clearance and postpone tax payments, reducing the frequency with which the government can collect revenue from commercial transport.
“You can see that trucks spend a long time travelling between Nimule and Juba. That means revenue collection is slower. If we maintain this road, we could collect taxes from a truck twice a month instead of once,” he added.
The Juba–Nimule highway is South Sudan’s principal trade corridor, linking the country to Uganda through the Nimule border crossing, where the majority of imported goods enter the country. The road is widely regarded as the backbone of South Sudan’s import supply chain, making its condition critical to trade, transport and domestic revenue mobilisation.
Beyond infrastructure, Deng said the visit was also intended to communicate the government’s decision to abolish tax exemptions for subcontractors, a measure the SSRA says is aimed at sealing revenue leakages and strengthening domestic tax collection.
The Commissioner General led a delegation comprising Customs Commissioner John Mading Bol, Head of Operations Maj. Gen. Akuei Ajou Akuei, Deputy Commissioner for Research and Planning Angelo Aguot Deng and other senior SSRA officials.
The Juba – Nimule Road remains a critical trade corridor for goods entering South Sudan from neighbouring countries. In October 2025, the President of the South Sudan Freight Forwarders Association, Deng Daniel, described the highway’s condition as “a national emergency” and called on the Ministry of Roads and Bridges, the Ministry of Transport, and the entire economic cluster to take immediate action.
Meanwhile, Assistant Commissioner for the Customs Division at Nimule Station Jacob Malith Apiu said customs authorities had largely resolved the cargo congestion that previously affected the border crossing.
“Regarding the congestion in Nimule, we have managed to stabilise the situation. We have established a team that is organising the movement of containers travelling to and from Uganda,” Malith said.
He also reported an increase in imports through the Nimule border, attributing the trend to what he described as competitive customs valuation and relatively low import taxes.
“One of the factors we are experiencing is the increase in imports. The prices we are giving to our importers are beneficial to them, and the taxes are relatively low. That is why we are attracting traders from the East African Community to increase imports into our country,” he said.
The SSRA has in recent weeks intensified efforts to increase non-oil revenue through stricter tax enforcement and reforms targeting customs administration, as the government seeks to strengthen domestic revenue collection amid persistent economic challenges.
sudanspost.com