File: Ezra Power Plant at Kondokoro, Juba I Eye Radio

The African Development Bank has distanced itself from ongoing load-shedding by South Sudan’s electricity supplier.

This follows a notice by the Juba Electricity Distribution Company—JEDCO and Ezra company for load-shedding that started yesterday.

JEDCO said it had run out of foreign currency to pay Ezra Construction and Development Group that generates the electricity.

The Juba power plant is a 38 million US dollar project funded by the African Development Bank.

In a statement yesterday, the African Development Bank (AfDB) however said it played no direct role in power generation in Juba and is not involved in any matters concerning the operation and maintenance of the electricity distribution networks.

The African Development Bank distances from ongoing load-shedding by #SouthSudan's electricity generator #Ezra #JEDCO #SSOT pic.twitter.com/EFzuXW4f8o

— Eye Radio (@EyeRadioJuba) April 7, 2021

The power plant restored the electricity supply in Juba after it was commissioned in 2019.

The AfDB says it remains committed to working with the South Sudanese government and other development partners to facilitate the provision of reliable electricity supply to Juba.

It says there many socioeconomic benefits arising directly and indirectly from the availability of electricity.

According to the AfDB, more than 1,667 of Juba’s street lights are now functional, facilitating night movement and contributing to crime prevention.

Other benefits include reduced cost of doing business and improved service delivery as schools and health facilities are connected to the power grid.