Donors, government strengthen capacity-building in South Sudan

By Julius N. Uma

March 30, 2011 (JUBA) – The Joint Donor Team (JDT) member countries and officials from the southern government have agreed on processes for strengthening capacity building areas in South Sudan’s post-referendum era, Michael Elmquist, JDT’s head of office said Wednesday.

The new initiative, he clarified, will focus on key areas like public financial management, income tax management, development of essential legislations, establishment of a new currency and how to manage the key oil sectors.

Other key areas of focus, according to Elmquist, will be on the basic social service needs of the population, citing improved health facilities, provision of additional educational institutions and training of teachers.

“Shortage of schools, limited number of teachers and even lack of enough reading material tend to hinder educational development, hence the need to support these areas,” the JDT head of office said.

Already in the process, he told Sudan Tribune, is the development of South Sudan Development Fund (SSDF) plan, currently in its draft stage. The plan, he added, will form the basis for all development activities in the country.
“The first comprehensive draft of the fund’s plan is expected in mid-April before it’s taken through a series of constitutional procedure. The JDT is only providing technical support by offering its team of experts to the process,” said Elmquist.

FUTURE OF THE MDTF-S

On the future of the Multi-Donor Trust Fund for Southern Sudan (MDTF-S), the JDT head said the funds; initially earmarked to end this year has been granted an additional one year extension. The MDTF-S is fund was established in 2005 to coordinate funding the construction and development needs of South Sudan

“After the end of this one-year extension, the MDTF will be no more. What we will have is probably funds meant for certain specific areas like health and education, among others,” he said.

The MDTF-S consists of 14 contributing external donors as well as funding from the southern government. To date, donors have reportedly contributed a total of $524.31 million to the MDTF, while the southern government has reportedly injected $178.6 million.

The JDT was established in 2006 by four donor countries, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom, later to be joined by Denmark and Canada. The team coordinates its policies with an advisory group of embassy representatives in Sudan’s capital Khartoum, and reports to a Strategic Management Board (SMB), which consists of the heads of the respective agencies in capitals.

South Sudan is due to become independent after an overwhelming result in favor of secession in a referendum in January. The plebiscite was agreed as part of a 2005 peace deal that ended decades of conflict, which severely hindered the development of the South. The region will officially become independent in July.

(ST)