Juba , South Sudan ( CNN ) -- An amusement park sits in the ear of a rhinoceros ; a five-star hotel takes the place of its eye . Another city takes the awkward image of a giraffe , with a golf course on its chest and a sewage treatment plant on its tail . The government of Southern Sudan this week unveiled urban blueprints to rebuild cities in the shape of animals , raising eyebrows across the globe . The man behind the plan , Housing and Physical Planning Ministry undersecretary Daniel Wani , says the attention has given his ambitious proposal a boost of new energy . `` The reaction has been very good . We have been getting calls from everywhere , '' Wani says in the Southern Sudan capital of Juba . `` Generally , the feedback we are receiving indicates that we are on a positive track . '' The $ 10.1 billion multi-decade project to re-create Southern Sudan 's 10 state capitals into elaborately-shaped dream towns may sound Dubai-esque -- only Southern Sudan is no Dubai . Actually , it is one of the poorest places on earth . The undeveloped region -- which lacks any paved roads outside its three main cities -- is part of Africa 's largest nation , Sudan , which is ruled by the Khartoum government South Sudanese fought against for most of the past half century in two long civil wars . But Southern Sudan expects to achieve independence next year through a January secession referendum promised in a 2005 peace deal that granted the war-torn region self-rule until the vote . Even without the unique city designs , the multi-billion dollar price tag alone was sure to turn heads . Southern Sudan 's total budget for 2010 is less than $ 2 billion , 98 percent of which comes from the oil revenues it hopes will fund its postwar re-construction . Critics think South Sudan 's expected oil bonanza could be getting to its head . `` There are so many priorities they should be focusing on before they should be attempting such a thing . It 's not cost effective , '' says Ben Jerome Gama , 28 , a South Sudanese living on a dirt road in Juba where the city 's erratic electricity supply has yet to reach . `` There is a lot to address -- in health , education , infrastructure . '' Others think the idea could help put an aspiring new nation on the map . `` If it happened , everybody would come to see the country . It would mean we are developed , '' says Ochira Bosco , 27 , who works in a Juba restaurant . But Bosco says his government should budget for more pressing matters first . `` If they build these and we still do n't have hospitals or proper schools or good roads , that would not be good , '' he says . Wani defends his plan , saying that one must start planning for the future today . And for those who consider the giraffe or rhino city designs silly or impractical , they should think bigger , says the official , who holds a doctorate in civil engineering from University of Leeds in the United Kingdom . `` The shapes are what is innovative about the whole idea , that is what is attracting all the attention , '' Wani says . Eventually , the government hopes to get more than 70 percent of the project financed privately . Businessmen from Japan and Abu Dhabi have already flown in to discuss joining the investor pool since the plans were unveiled . The proposal has yet to be finally approved by the nation 's executive Cabinet , and investors will not begin work until a $ 500 million guarantee materializes from the Bank of Southern Sudan . But the man who envisions giving Southern Sudan a unique aerial view is confident his idea will soon turn stones on the ground . `` We are implementing the plan , definitely , '' he says .
The $ 1 billion project aims to re - build 10 state capitals . Proposal for one of the most poorest places on earth raises eyebrows . Some think South Sudan 's recent oil bonanza could be going to its head .