Northern Bahr el Ghazal invites foreign investments

September 25, 2010 (MALAKAL) –The government of Northern Bahr el Ghazal on this week called for investment in the area to increase mutual benefits and accelerate socio-economic development of the war emerging region of southern Sudan.

This came following a gubernatorial visit of Governor Malong Awan to India, where he held number of important meetings with both private and government companies which expressed readiness to come to invest in the area, especially in business opportunities.

During a series of visits to Uganda and Kenya in June and July, Governor Awan called on the two neighboring countries to support Southern Sudan, particularly Northern Bahr el Ghazal which appears to have been abandoned by her traditional allies.

He said it was time people of Southern Sudan and the rest of neighboring countries take advantage of bilateral ties to impact positively on their economies and fast track the emergence of the region as an economic giant.

According to a document with details of the gubernatorial visits to foreign countries seen by Sudan Tribune, Governor Awan had blazed the trail in development, and threw an open arm to foreign investors to maximize their investment in Southern Sudan’s economy, especially Northern Bahr el Ghazal.

Governor Awan, who spent nearly three months out of office, was accompanied by powerful business minded personalities.

During his visit the governor has appealed for a three billion dollar loan for the development of Aweil rice scheme and ancillary sectors, in addition to an estimated 260 million dollar for road projects, as well as another loan of $150 million for improvement of education sector and governance projects.

Relations between South Sudan and India quickly pick up after the signing of the comprehensive peace agreement which ended one of the longest civil wars on the African soil in 2005, between the two regions of north and south, and have been strengthened further in recent times with the growing friendly ties between the two sides.

Five years on, the two governments are getting closer for deeper collaboration, and the Southern Sudan President Salva Kiir has already commended India for establishing its direct ties with the region “at a time when many nations would not have anything to do with it.”

“Our India brothers were part of the nations that stood behind us and showed that they cared during our struggle, for they were running business in the SPLA controlled areas during war,” the document quoted Governor Awan as saying in meeting he held in India attracting applause from the audience.

Awan reiterated that his administration would in no way sway from the “SPLM vision to transform rural areas into modern towns to reduce movement of people to urban areas” and the mandate to transform the lives of people of Northern Bahr el Ghazal as it invested in people, built a viable economy and ran an open, honest and transparent government.

He added that government would create the enabling environment for the growth of private business and investment in the state to improve economy.

Ronald Ruay Deng Maker, a State Minister of Finance, Trade and Industry, spoke last month, of the numerous investment opportunities in the state, singling out the need for developing Aweil rice scheme as an area worth exploring.

Security in the area is relatively stable and favorable for investment by foreign companies. There are no inter-communal conflicts in territorial boundaries of Northern Bahr el Ghazal. “There is adequate security,” stressed minister Maker.

(ST)