Sustainable infrastructure and road construction technology roadcem Note: This project has been cancelled, because the partners were not able to continue to work in South Sudan.Road infrastructure is crucial for private sector development. The road density in South Sudan is the lowest in Sub-Sahara Africa and among low-income states. Infrastructure is an investment priority for the coming years. Present road construction techniques in Sudan are costly because all raw materials have to be imported and works can only be executed in the dry season.The project introduces a new sustainable technology for durable and flood-proof road construction and terrain pavement. This proven technology allows for quick all-year round, on the spot blending with local, onsite materials for road and terrain stabilisation without the need to road bed excavation.The project will be located in Juba.The applicant is Jonk B.V., a Dutch company active in construction of infrastructure (roads and sewerage) small-scale dredging, soil redemption and rental of excavation machinery. The first local partner is East African Machinery Ltd (EAM) and is active in road contracting, equipment rental and personnel training. The second local partner is Marine Middle East Trading FZE with main activities: trading, service, training and management in the field of infrastructure and dredging.The partners will establish and register a joint venture in South Sudan in the form of a limited company called CONS-STRUCT.The joint venture will focus their activities in the first years on subcontracting and on road construction in Juba and direct surroundings.Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)The most essential raw materials for the project are cement and fuel. The partners prefer to work as much with local/regional suppliers as possible to strengthen the value chain and create additional employment on the ground. The partners have a list of trusted suppliers.Risk analysis:- For the risk analysis, the partners focused on issues related to labour conditions, health and safety, human rights, child and/or forced labour, corruption and bribery, and environmental management.- Road and terrain construction involves a considerable deal of transport of base materials. This does not only involve environmental risks (i.e. CO2-emissions), but also social risks (e.g. traffic accidents).- From our analysis, we unfortunately concluded that child labour is still widespread in South Sudan; almost 50 percent of children between the age of 10 and 14 are working.Action plan:- With regard to transport and logistics, the partners have already worked long enough in Africa/South Sudan to know which international/regional/local companies are responsible operators.- As part of the selection process, the partners will ask several candidates to hand over documentation to demonstrate their policy with regard to the above-mentioned issues.- The joint venture will also ask each supplier to sign an anti-child and forced labour statement.- The partners will make arrangements with each supplier with regard to the sustainable packaging of materials.Impact•	Employment and working conditionsThe partners will pay € 400 for basic-level employees, 900 euro to 1,100 euro for medium-level employees and 1,250 euro to 2,000 euro for high level employees. The partners will pay for healthcare insurance, social security, paid overtime, free transport to and from work, free water and subsidized meals and free temporary accommodation in case of contracting jobs outside Juba.The new business will offer full-time contracts based on 40 hours per week. Every employee will start with a six month contract with a trial period of one month. The match between expectations and performance whether a contract will be extended or terminated. Given the considerable investment in new employees (e.g. training), the partners hope to keep their employees motivated and committed by offering attractive fringe benefits (to be discussed), opportunities for growth and regular feedback moments.All employees will follow an extensive ten-day training in the field of health, safety and environment.During that training, they will for example learn how to block a road or how to act in case of an emergency.Given that exhaustion can put people at risk, especially in road construction, overtime will be kept to a minimum as much as possible.The partners will guarantee that the equipment and tools meet the ILO standards to ensure optimal safety.•	Innovation / Transfer of knowledgeThe project introduces a new sustainable technology for durable and flood-proof road construction and terrain pavement. This proven technology allows for quick all-year round , on the spot blending with local, onsite materials for road and terrain stabilisation without the need to excavate the road bed.•	Chain effectsImpact on local suppliersThe partners will rely on local suppliers as much as possible. Cement and fuel will be sourced locally as much as possible. The amount that will be sourced will depend on the amount of contracting jobs and requirements of the pavement works:Cement 2,000 to 3,000 tons 600,000 to 900,000.Fuel 750,000 to 900,000 litres 150,000 to 180,000.The aim of the partners is to build a long-term partnership with local suppliers. Therefore, they will train local suppliers in production techniques and quality control and will continue to advice and coach them throughout their working relationship.The partners will pay their suppliers competitive market prices. The local partner has a strong awareness about which suppliers operate responsibly. Furthermore, the partners will request information from their suppliers with regard to their CSR practices, including wage payments. If the partners suspect that suppliers pay unfair wages, they will enter into a dialogue with them. If this dialogue is experienced positively on both ends, the partners will provide guidelines on how to improve wage standards and will, if necessary, make the supplier sign a statement for confirmation. If this dialogue does not lead to concrete actionsImpact on local customers or consumersLocal clients benefit from the new business in multiple ways:- The partners can determine the durability of the road/terrain according to the requirements stated by local clients: from five to 50 years without the need for intensive maintenance (50 percent less than with conventional construction methods).- Regardless of the requirements, the roads and terrains are more durable. According to a study performed by UNESCO-IHE, these roads/terrains will not endure structural damage in case of flood compared to traditional roads. The cost reduction is estimated at 25 percent in the first year to 75 percent over a period of ten years.- The partners can construct all year round, even during rainy season.- Because the technology requires less (imported) input materials and less earthworks, the partners can deliver their product at a cheaper price.- Although the business is not in the B2C market, local consumers will definitely benefit from its arrival.Public transportation (or its counterpart in South Sudan, boda bodas) is only possible when there are sufficient traffic roads (preferably two-way). Over time, public transportation is expected to become more available, affordable and safe.- If the South Sudanese choose to use their own or public transportation, either way it will save them time and money. People will lose less time going to and from work and spend newly recovered funds on (other) primary needs, like food. People can undertake trips to visit the market and family/friends for example, and choose to work further away from their homes.- Primary and secondary schools will be able to arrange organized bus drives to safely pick up and drop off children in adjacent villages, facilitating their education.Terrain pavement is necessary for modern building construction works. Consumers can benefit in two ways: more job creation (and accompanying income opportunities) and supply of (new) products and services for consumption.•	EnvironmentCompared to conventional construction companies, the new business will have a considerable positive impact on the environment. It is generally accepted road and terrain construction (and maintenance) is a polluting undertaking: the diesel consumption of vehicles and equipment and production and transportation of input materials (incl. chemicals) raise the level of air pollutants, like CO2, in the air. However, it is also generally accepted that our societies and economies will not thrive without adequate infrastructure and this also holds for South Sudan.•	Position of womenThe project will create 32 positions for women (over 40 percent of the total staff size): 9 basic-level, 5 medium-level and 8 high-level positions. It is still common in South Sudan to pay women a lower salary than men. The partners reject this notion and reward men and women equally. Furthermore, the partners will offer their female employees paid maternity leave.•	Impact on food safetyRoads are indispensable for the distribution of food from the producer to the end-consumer. About 90 percent of the land in South Sudan is arable and agriculture is considered the backbone of its economy. Because producers and distributors are often the same person/family in these underdeveloped regions, they will become better connected to markets and therefore channels to sell their produce. In conclusion, more roads equals more food security. To introduce a sustainable and affordable infrastructure and road construction technology (re-)using local materials with a pilot scale production of 10 km of all-weather road per year.