Juba, South Sudan,
June 30, 2021 – The most recent report published by the World Bank calls on the government of South Sudan to adjust public policies to support job creation. The report also calls for targeted donor investment to speed economic recovery.
The synthesis report, published alongside four technical studies on jobs, draws on six different datasets and interviews with youths, farmers, and traders across South Sudan.
In the report published Tuesday and obtained by Nyamilepedia, the World Bank Country Director for South Sudan Husam Abudagga, said the agricultural sector, which has been neglected for years, should be resuscitated and supported by the government.
“Agriculture is a big employer in towns, with high potential for more productivity and for linkages up and down the value chain – jobs like making tools, transporting goods, and processing crops,” Abudagga said.
“Providing inputs remains relevant to restoring production. As stability progresses, cash grants for farmers and processors make sense,” the country director added.
The director said supporting smallholder farming groups is also among the important measures the government can implement to support agriculture in the country.
“Farmer cooperatives are potential partners, and aggregators deserve attention because they can re-link markets,” said Abudagga.
In a country where relative peace has been holding for almost three years, Abudagga says without sustainable jobs for the citizens of the country, the true meaning of peace will be compromised.
“Jobs are crucial in any peacebuilding process, and we can and need to do more to support them [farmers and youths]. Foreign investment will take time to recover. But smart investments by the Government and development partners can crowd in small investments from households and small businesses,” said the country director.
“I am thinking about rural feeder roads and cash grants to restart and grow those household activities that account for so many of the jobs in South Sudan. At the same time, a sustainable recovery has to rest on security, and robust economic reforms, so that resources can be better deployed to build a new diversified economy,” Abuddaga added.
