Exploit South Sudan’s abundant resources, President Kiir tell investors

By Julius N. Uma

October 2, 2010 (JUBA) — The Government of Southern Sudan will continue creating conducive environments that will attract potential investors hailing from both the regional and global arena, Salva Kiir Mayardit has assured.

In his nearly one-hour address delivered upon his return from the UN General Assembly meeting in New York, President Kiir, also Sudan’s First Vice President said South Sudan not only has vast economic resources, but remains a potential market for neighboring countries, citing Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea and DR Congo.

Specifically citing the agricultural sector, President Kiir noted that South Sudan was capable of becoming the regional food basket, with the entire world benefiting it.

An estimated over 80 percent of people are reportedly involved in agriculture, regarded as the backbone of economy. Productivity is still said to be very low, standing at just 1.5 metric tons of food per household, according to the 2007 Household survey conducted by the Ministry of Health.

GOSS President also used the forum to appeal to donors and multi-national institutions such as the World Bank to support people through small grants and loans to improve standards of living.

“In particular, we will need the support of multilateral institutions such as the World Bank so that arrangements can be made to allow Southern Sudan to benefit from soft loans and grants in order to develop rapidly”, he said.

In South Sudan, the World Bank-managed Multi-Donor Trust Fund (MDTF), obtained from donors and administrated United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is benefitting farmers’ groups in various parts of South Sudan.

Such donor partner’s leadership, he added remains critical in shaping and helping the government in handling the remaining issues of post-referendum negotiations such as border demarcation and the protection of civilians in border areas.

On Tuesday, the Southern government officially launched the sub-national Doing Business (DB) project, a vital initiative that seeks to survey the status of doing business in the semi-autonomous region.

The 2011 project, which is being supported by the Investment Ministry and United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under the directive of the Investment Climate Advisory Service of the World Bank Group, was launched at the World Bank premises in Juba.

Already successfully conducted in about 40 countries across the world, sub-national DB reports measure business regulations and their enforcement within a particular country or region.

The reports provide data on the ease of doing business in selected areas, ranking of each location and reform recommendations that local governments can use to improve performance.

Since 2005, sub-national DB projects have reportedly benchmarked more than 300 locations in 41 countries, producing three city profiles with the forth one earmarked to be that of Juba, courtesy of the just-initiated South Sudan project.

(ST).