NAIROBI, (Xinhua) — Kenyan investors have been urged to exploit business opportunities that exist in South Sudan which will be showcased during the forthcoming Kenya Trade Fair in South Sudan.

Over one thousand business experts, investors, donors, NGOs and government officials will converge at Nyakuron Cultural Centre in Juba from March 1 to March 4 to seek for business opportunities in the world’s newest nation that currently demonstrates an unquenchable thirst for investment in virtually all sectors.

Karegwa Muchiri, the Regional Manager of Capacity Africa Initiative who are the organisers of the fair, said in Nairobi on Wednesday that the main objective is to create forum where Kenya and international investors can showcase their goods and services in South Sudan which he described as a virgin market which a lot of challenges on the ground.

“The environment in the country is good for business in all sectors because after the two-decades of war, South Sudan is virtually starting from scratch,” Muchiri told journalists in Nairobi .

“Renewable energy remains one of the main areas of investment for Kenyan business people venturing into the South Sudan .”

Muchiri solar energy for example is an ideal business opportunity for companies looking to grow their revenue in Africa ’ s latest sovereign member.

South Sudan has only one power company, Juba Power, which uses diesel generators to generate electricity.

During the recent dispute on oil pumping from South Sudan to Port Sudan in the north, the whole country was without electricity because there was shortage of refined diesel.

Muchiri said there are wide-ranging opportunities in hospitality, road and construction, housing, telecommunications, water purification, pharmaceutical plants, warehousing, and electric power generation sectors.

“Even if you come with your box of candles you will find ready market because South Sudan has no manufacturing sector and imports practically every commodity.”

“Solar power back-up systems are in great demand in the whole country,” said Muchiri in Nairobi on Wednesday.

There are an estimated 150,000 Kenyans living in Sudan , the second highest number of foreigners compared to Ugandans that number an estimated 200,000 according to Government of South Sudan.

The Regional Manager said the lack of manufacturing sector has been the sole contributor to the cost of living in the country and gave the disparity in the prize of a bottle of soda that sells at 0.3 U.S. dollars in Kenya compared to 2.4 dollars in Juba .

Muchiri said fifty exhibitors from Kenya will join their equal number of countrymen already doing business on the ground to participate in the trade fair.

He said Ugandans have dominated trade with South Sudan because of their proximity and good roads that lead into the country through Gulu.

“Ugandan trade with South Sudan runs into millions of dollars ahead of Kenya , which is disadvantaged in terms of road and insecurity which have forced Kenyan traders to export their commodities through Uganda ,which increases their value.

Kuanyim Angelo Bol, Media Liaison Officer from Blue Spring International said Juba is an expensive city because it imports over ninety per cent of goods including food and water.

“Before independence, everything used to come from Khartoum but because of politics, we had to look for other sources of our commodities.”

He said South Sudan will soon begin to implement a huge project of building a modern new capital city for the newly independent state

The relocation exercise, he said, will be completed within five years.

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