Trading across borders

The cost of living is high in Juba, the capital of the world’s youngest nation, the Republic of South Sudan.1 Decades of conflict have wiped out basic infrastructure and destroyed what production capacity it once had. So most goods—including food, basic inputs and construction materials—must be imported. That can be costly and slow. An entrepreneur in Juba would have to spend $9,429 to import a standardized container of cargo through the port of Mombasa—and wait for up to 60 days from the time the goods arrive in Mombasa until they reach Juba, as measured by Doing Business.