State-owned construction company PT Waskita Karya has made progress on its deal to build infrastructure in South Sudan through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. On the sidelines of the 77th UN General Assembly Session in New York on September 20, 2022, Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi and South Sudan’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Deng Dau Deng Malek signed a joint communique with South Sudan to partner in building infrastructure and on the oil industry. Meanwhile, Waskita and South Sudan’s Ministry of Infrastructure signed the IDR 25 trillion cooperation contract.
Constructing highway
Waskita’s project in South Sudan is valued at between IDR 21 and IDR 25 trillion for the construction of a 1,000-kilometer highway. This road construction project is built on land in the form of an intersection, and each segment measures 250 kilometers. South Sudan will pay the project by selling crude oil to Indonesia’s oil and gas giant PT Pertamina.
The project in South Sudan is likely to minimize China’s dominance in infrastructure project works in Africa continent. Other than South Sudan, Waskita also targets projects in several developing countries. In August 2022, Waskita won a tender for the Noefefan-Oenuno Road project in Oé-Cusse, in neighboring Timor Leste. The project is worth US$ 22.1 million or IDR 322 billion.
