South Sudan is the world’s newest country, and among the least developed. After nearly five years of working with fruit and vegetable growers and sellers, the International Trade Centre (ITC) has shown how to create thousands of jobs and to grow small businesses.
The Jobs creation and Trade Development programme focused on the provinces of Central Equatoria, which includes the capital Juba, and neighbouring Western Equatoria. Producers and traders learned how to access finance, ensure food safety and maintain the quality of their fruits and vegetables.
‘We supported subsistence-level farmers and traders engaged along the fruit and vegetable value chains,’ ITC Country Manager Aklile Habtemariam said at an event celebrating the project’s achievements. ‘We provided support to enhance productive capacity, compliance with food safety and quality standards, and business management to foster increased trade.’
With 4.8 million euros from the European Union, the project focused on youth and women, who represented 70% of the participants.
‘Through this initiative, we have witnessed the importance of partnership in building resilient livelihoods and strengthening local economies,’ said Lothar Jaschke, Deputy Ambassador of the European Union.
Among the main accomplishments:
- Job Creation: The initiative created 2,380 jobs, employing 806 producers and traders across the project locations. Youth were the main beneficiaries, filling 90% of the jobs created, while women represented 30% of the workforce.
- Training and Skill Development: A total of 3,861 fruit and vegetable producers were trained in best agricultural practices, with more than 60% of the participants being young producers.
- Business and Entrepreneurship: In addition to agricultural training, 1,205 young people, 70% of whom were women, received coaching in business management and entrepreneurship, helping them grow their fruit and vegetable production and trading ventures.
- Financial Inclusion: The project facilitated connections between 669 producers and traders and microfinance institutions. As a result, 37 individuals received loans totaling nearly 9.8 million South Sudanese pounds (about $7,300). Most borrowers were youth and women.
- The project also organized trade fairs, business networking events, and access to financial resources. That gave farmers and traders, contributing to increased market access for local farmers and traders. This holistic approach has had a lasting impact on the local agricultural economy, creating new economic opportunities and raising standards for food safety and quality.
‘We must now ensure that its impact remains sustainable,’ said Minister of Trade Joseph Moum Majak. ‘We must continue supporting small businesses, improve access to finance, enhance food safety standards, and create a more enabling business environment in South Sudan.’
The ITC initiative demonstrates how targeted support for youth and women, combined with practical financial and business tools, can drive sustainable economic growth and create lasting positive change in communities.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of International Trade Centre.