Juba

Juba has grown rapidly along the White Nile, absorbing large population increases while roads, water, sanitation, drainage and land administration have struggled to keep pace. Informal expansion and weak development control have produced long travel distances and uneven access to services across the capital.

South Sudan’s current urbanisation agenda calls for better land governance, resilient roads, drainage, lighting and utilities, while African Development Bank investment is strengthening water supply and sanitation in Juba. These systems need to be planned together. Reliable water and roads improve daily life, but the larger structural challenge is to guide future settlement toward areas that can be serviced and connected efficiently. Without stronger spatial planning, continued expansion risks locking the capital into higher infrastructure costs and persistent accessibility gaps.