Warrap businessman tells story about his success, encourages investment in rural areas

June 28, 2010 (ALEK) — A businessman from the Southern Sudan state of Warrap has on Monday called for lobbies on government and investors to consider investing in rural areas than urban towns.

Agany Makuc, an ex-SPLA officer turned businessman, in interview with Sudan Tribune from the rural town of Alek, Gogrial West County in Warrap state, said it is time rural areas are given more attention in developmental plans.

“Let’s invest in rural areas if we need to move forward in line with SPLM vision that encourages taking towns to rural areas to reduce movement of rural people to urban towns,” he said.

Urging citizens of Warrap state to develop a habit of investing in rural areas, he said business activities should not be concentrated in urban areas but spread to rural communities to create job opportunities.

“When I started with grocery here in Alek after peace, many people did not believe it would grow. Others thought I was frustrated by the system to stop serving in the SPLA as officer with the rank of Colonel but I insisted because I had determination to make business another way of extending my services to our people,” Agany explained.

Agany, who now owns restaurant and hotels in both Gogrial town, Wau and Alek, his ancestral village, said citizens of Warrap and indeed the entire South Sudan should not wait for foreigners to develop this country. “Nobody will come from anywhere to develop the area. Most of the people who have gone to many places from Warrap have seen themselves who own what in industrial companies,” he continued.

“They should take example of the war we fought, did they see people from other countries coming to fight for us. It was us who walked long distances to attend military trainings to get skills of how to fight but we did not see those who trained us coming with us to help in the fight.

Therefore, development should never be expected from other people but from us the people of southern Sudan to bring it the same way we fought to bring peace,” he further explained.

He challenged those in the urban towns to conduct regular visit to ancestral village during cultivation season as way to encourage local farming activities. “People learn and copy from one another. If you know and do one new thing today successfully, someone else will copy it and try it as well,” he said.

Makuc said he started the construction of the lodge in 2007 and has invested over a million dollars now. “I started it my own cows because it was not possible accessing financial assistance by the time I initiated this entrepreneurial engagement,” he said.

Makuc said although he had intention to start earlier, his commitment during the war as one of the commanding officers could not allow him. He, however, took the prevalence of peace as an opportunity to try his dream and desire for business.

Because of his desire for business, he was always involved in local business and cultural associations in his home even though he was senior military officer.

I always show interest in sharing business ideas with local people and I was in most occasions taking part in meetings related to formation of business association.

“This started with AGUOK Cultural and Business Association in 2002 and that is how I thought of coming up with this business because I discovered there are also great business opportunities here as well,” he said.

Asked how he acquired lands in the two state capitals of Wau and Kuajok since acquisition of land is one of the challenges facing regional government of Southern Sudan including state governments, he said he always sought acquisition approval from either traditional or from land authorities.

“I always approach legal bodies to acquire land intended to set on it commercial stand. In Wau and Kuajok, I acquired land from the Council and I have invested over millions of [Sudanese] pounds to set up this infrastructure and I am still going to invest more in the coming years when I get more financial resources,” Makuc said.

Asked how many people he has employed, he said he has full time fifty employees but intends to increase the number as he expands restaurants, hotels and lodge’s infrastructure, adding he had applied for funds from government of Southern Sudan’s ministry of trade and industry to enable him carry out the extension project.

“I have written lots of projects with business proposals to the government of Southern Sudan seeking financial assistances but have not yet received official response since last year,” he reminded, expressing his optimism that he will be assisted because government, he added, had shown interest to strengthen capacity of local entrepreneurs.

(ST)