Wutkoch Engineering & Modern Contractors (WEMCO): Why Indigenous Investment Companies Deserve Our Professional Attention and Support!

By James Thon Atem, Juba, South Sudan.

Wednesday, 12 June 2024 (PW) — In every heart of development, there is a grain of idea that forms its bedrock. These ideas come from Individuals or groups. When these ideas are put together,  shaped, and advanced, they can give birth to legacies that exist beyond generations. 

In 1820, John Loudon McAdam started the idea of a road project in Scotland. In his engineering world, he continued to crush stones; placed them in shallow, convex layers, and compacted them thoroughly. Mind you, this was not two years ago, nor two decades ago. These were days when the likes of Galileo di Vincenzo Bonaiuti de’ Galilei, commonly referred to as Galileo Galilei or simply Galileo had convinced the world with the invention of the thermoscope in 1593.

On the other hand, Henry Ford and the rest were making America Greater during their times through inventions, innovation creativity. This quest for making life better for humanity spread all over the world. This spillover effect touched every corner of the earth in many ways. One of the ways is to form a company  to advance the development.

If we bring this to our today’s perspective,  we can discover that Companies have in many ways made business better. They are a vehicle of infrastructural and economic development. WEMCO, possessed with a desire to better the lives of the people through Engineering in order to contribute in making world a better place to live in, came up with idea of contributing to development.   Development is an idea that originates in the minds of dedicated people. It is upon this backdrop that WEMCO was conceived so as to contribute to the development in Civil Engineering capacity. 

Based on its outstanding profile, WEMCO has acquired significant experiences, modern qualities, and qualifications to implement bulky developmental projects at the local and regional levels since its establishment in 2006. This is cemented by the projects and physical infrastructures being Implemented by WEMCO in Gogrial West, Warrap  State.  Notable amongst them is a famous Akon International Airport and Business Plazas in Wunrok Market.

In their capacity as an indigenous company, they have done so much before. They have built roads, houses and many other projects are awaiting successful completion.  Given its track record of successful projects, There is no doubt about the creditability and engineering capacity of Wutkoc Engineering & Modern Contractors Ltd and it’s a sure bet that those projects will be successful. 

These gound breaking projects  as i witnessed them in March 2024 While on my National Non-Governmental Organization field mission to conduct a need assessment in Kucjok Town,  caught my attention to share my experience today. It’s upon this glimpse  of idea that I visited their Headquarters near Panorama Plaza Hotel Airport Road, opposite Lilly Supermarket, a month later after my field assessment mission to witness first-hand information regarding this remarkable company.

Upon seeing their offices, I came to know that WEMCO was Established in 2006 and has consistently showcased more of the construction projects. Though founded in Khartoum, WEMCO  has played a major role during the Repatriation of the then Southern Sudanese to the South and resettled them comfortably.

In light of all it developmental projects, The Akon International Airport is the recent mega project that the company is implementing. Given its excellent technology and professional team under the management of Mr. Francis Piol Bol Buk, the Managing Director and Mr. Bak Mayen Ring Deng, the CEO, there is no doubt that the project will finish as planned.

The Akon International Airport, once completed will add value to the infrastructural and economic development of our nation.  The airport size is 3.6 Kilometers and its standardization is approved by ICAO, a diplomatic body that undertakes compliance audits, studies and analyses, provides assistance and   approves International Airports globally. Notwithstanding, this projects bring home access road to Akon International Airport, its villages and most importantly, this development will brings a lot of benefits to the people of Gogrial West, particularly the Awan community, Warrap State, its neighboring State of Northern Bahr-El-Ghazal and South Sudanese in general.

Besides employing South Sudanese on the construction work inside the airport and the business centers, The management of WEMCO, under Mr. Francis Piol Bol Buk and Mr. Bak Mayen Ring have initiated the cooperate social responsibilities (CSR) activities in Aweil North, where they outsourced the construction materials by building a community hospital.

In addition to that, WEMCO’s CRS has pledged to construct a community school and a hospital in Akon of Gokrial West where the airport is situated.  Finally, currently, they’re working closely with community leaders, intellectuals, and political figures to enhance smooth working relationships with the locals. The CEO Mr. Bak Mayen is not only a proficient businessman but also a humanitarian. He is devoted to supporting the community.

With this huge contribution to development and empowerment of our people, the government should adopt a universal policy of promoting  indigenous companies to have total control over their investments and develop funds being exploited by foreign companies whose prime objectives are to benefit and to continue weakening the local currency leaving the local economy on a survival mode or killing the growth of the GDP.

WEMCO’ exceptional contribution in delivering quality services is an evident that indigenous  civil engineering companies are far better in terms of performance as showcased in the recently concluded projects in the capital city and State headquarters. This perception of injecting funds into foreign contracts is a waste of time,  resources and a denial of job opportunities to the nationals.

This so because the empowerment of locals not only make our cities grow but it can also lead to the development of economic sector as the standard of living of the local employees will improves. There will also be even development as these local companies will spread to major towns and villages before going global. This would let us achieve the SPLM vision and mission of taking towns to the people.

The idea of taking towns to the people impacts the lives of the people in so many aspects and here are the key things that every community looks to benefit from rapid development:

Social benefit: Tong Tong who lives in Atukuel needs a better road to travel from his village to Kucjok Town and sell his goat on a market day because his kids who go to Atukuel Primary School don’t have uniforms.

Economic Benefits: Due to better roads in Gogrial West and Twic County, a lady who grows her vegetable farm Alek Aguok can make it to Akon and take her tomatoes to the market and return in the evening due to good roads.

Security: We’ve all witnessed along the Juba – Bor Highway, the level of insecurity has reduced due to countless mobility of the people along the highway. Through the effort of WEMCO, the same approach is being used to deliver services to the people in Warrap State. Even though they have a project in Akon, WEMCO and the government of South Sudan is looking beyond those two counties. It is within their scoops to extend this work to other counties, towns, and the rest of the country to promote development and empower people.

It would be a disservice if i fail to comment on the country’s poor urban infrastructures and road networks. In this case, the government in its annual budget should increase the development funds to boost the national companies to protect their credibility against foreign competitors and prevent the resources from being continuously remitted out of the country in disguise of non-stop imports that never benefited citizens in the welfare of both urban and rural population but to only the non-nationals.

They say tuelage through apprentice makes a child better than relying on talent that might fade with time. WEMCO, in my opinion, has the chance to depict a sensational picture and understanding of all national companies to be supported and grow into a mega multimillion-dollar company. If so, can we get a few more companies on board and make them develop the other sectors as well. If we do so, I believe it can work.

To hoist it home, WEMCO among other companies, has enormously shown to the viewers of its business projects, and to the rest of the world, and those willing to do business that the company quality engineering, financial management, efficiency, and effectiveness of project timelines.

As its vision and mission entail, the WEMCO management team and qualified engineers have proven beyond any reasonable doubt the ability to communicate, the professionalism to carry out business activities, the interaction between partners and staffers, and their respect towards agencies speaks a lot about them and sell the good image in regards to their values, professional ethics, and standards of their business code of conduct.

WEMCO has a protracted and decades of experience  as a business company. As such, it will always remain the the most reliable and efficient construction firm. This is made possible by it able team of thinkers such as its Managing Director, innovators, and a hardworking professionals. WEMCO has attained its blueprint from the public perspective as a professional representative of people who love and appreciate the development and are indebted to nation-building.

In conclusion,  the Government and the people of South Sudan should always seek WEMCO’s service whenever they need quality service. By doing it so, they will not only benefit from quality service but equally promote development and economic growth as explained in depth in the preceding paragraphs. 

The writer is an Executive Director of Youth Action Network for Transformation, a former member of the National Youth Union, and an opinion writer. You can access him on X, formerly Twitter, Facebook Page and via email address: jamesatem22@gmail.com.

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