Writer: Louis Loku
Caretaker Minister of Information, Communication Technology, and Postal Services, Ateny Wek Ateny, has held a consultative meeting with major telecommunications operators to strengthen cooperation between the government and the mobile network companies.
The meeting brought together representatives from MTN, Zain, and Digital, with discussions focusing on improving collaboration between the ministry and telecommunications operators and expanding communication services across the country.
Minister Ateny urged the companies to extend their network coverage to rural and underserved areas, particularly ahead of the December 2026 elections.
The minister emphasised the importance of reliable communication services in ensuring people across the country can access information and participate in the electoral process.
The meeting also sought to strengthen institutional and sectoral relations between the Ministry and telecommunications companies.
Speaking to the press, Chol Duang Chan, Executive Director in the Office of the Minister, said the meeting provided an opportunity to renew and strengthen the relationship between the government and telecommunications operators.
“The meeting was an opportunity to renew and strengthen institutional and sectoral relations,” Chol Duang Chan said.
The government has continued to engage telecommunications companies on issues affecting the sector, including network expansion and service delivery.
With the December elections approaching, the Ministry says improved telecommunications coverage, particularly in rural areas, will be important in supporting communication and access to information across South Sudan.
In December 2025, Ateny had pledged to expand telecommunications coverage to some of the most remote parts of Aweil West County in Northern Bahr el Ghazal State, as years of conflict, displacement, and weak infrastructure continue to leave rural communities cut off from digital services essential for security, governance, and service delivery.
He said engineers would be deployed to assess and install mobile network towers in isolated payams of Aweil West County in Northern Bahr el Ghazal State, where limited connectivity has undermined communication with authorities and restricted access to digital public services.
The commitment was made on Saturday during a Thanksgiving ceremony in Majak-baai Payam, attended by senior officials recently appointed to government positions, including the state governor and the Commissioner General of the National Revenue Authority.
South Sudan’s digital expansion has remained heavily concentrated in urban centres, particularly Juba. After years of armed conflict, cattle-related violence, and border insecurity, hundreds of thousands of people have fled rural areas.
Analysts say this urban shift, combined with poor road access and insecurity in border regions, has made network expansion commercially and logistically difficult.