By Akanimo Sampson
Ezra Construction and Development Group (ECDG) has assured the authorities that the Juba power plant in South Sudan will be totally shut down if the government fails to make payment as set out in the Power Purchase Agreements (PPA) signed on August 16, 2017.
The shut down threat is contained in a notice addressed to the country’s Energy and Dams Minister, Peter Marcello Nasir Jelenge, last March 31.
Founded in October 1986 in Ethiopia, ECDG, which is mainly involved in the construction industry, transport, general trading, and supplies, built and is operating the power plant for the national grid of South Sudan.
The North African country’s government, through both the Ministry of Energy and Dams and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, is contractually obliged to convert the SSP received by JEDCO into US dollars to pay ECDG for the electricity it generates.
“In spite of ensuring the collection of electricity tariff which is made in SSP through our joint efforts in JEDCO from customers, payments due to ECDG as per the contract signed in August 2017 have not been made on time despite numerous attempts to address the situation”, part of the notice says.
Ezra Group is a compound company founded in October 1986 in Ethiopia by two brothers. It has since grown into a conglomerate.
In June, 2011, the umbrella holding company, Ezra Construction & Development Group was registered in South Sudan and is its regional headquarters. Previously, the company gained experience of more than two decades in Ethiopia and Eritrea having expertise in construction of feeder roads, rigid & flexible pavement roads as well as road bridges.
Saba General Trading and Ezra General Trading has accumulated valuable knowledge as well as equipment and has a vision to provide essential services in the region. The company has had a long history trading in the region having started off as importers of essential commodities like sugar and other assorted items into the region for commercial purposes and also for SPLA.
Between 2003 and 2007, ECDG through the transport subsidiary was the main logistics and transport provider for WFP and NPA in the South Sudan region. As such, the company was heavily involved in the transportation of heavy goods in a region that had a barely discernible and undependable road network.
This led the directors to vow that as soon as they gathered sufficient resources, they would invest in an infrastructure development company to help improve the countries roads. The company subsequently engaged in other commercial entities in the region including a forex bureau among other trading ventures.
In Uganda, Ezra Transporters and Commercial Agencies operates a large fleet of long haul vehicles servicing the Mombasa, Uganda, South Sudan transport corridor. In addition, the group has also been involved in real estate development in the region, having developed amongst others in partnership, the Star Hotel in Juba and a new 72 apartment venture named Bugolobi Kintintale in Kampala. In responding to the needs of the region, the company recently went into partnership with local residents to found the E.L construction. KEECO provides earth moving equipment in the oil producing area of Poluog, Upper Nile, providing a much needed service locally.