Economic Growth
Program Overview
Economic growth and infrastructure development in Southern Sudan and the Three Areas have been crippled by years of neglect - isolating communities, restricting trade, and impeding governance and the provision of critical social services. Long-term investments in economic development will help bring future prosperity and growth to these neglected areas of Sudan, contributing to the sustainable peace envisioned in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).
Activities
Improving Infrastructure
USAID is rehabilitating hundreds of kilometers of roads and building bridges and electric generating systems across southern Sudan and the Three Areas. In order to enhance trade and market linkages, USAID is re-engineering and resurfacing the major transport route from Juba to Nimule (a border crossing to Uganda) as well as a major trade corridor in the southwestern "breadbasket" of Sudan.
USAID is building capacity at the regional GOSS and southern state levels to manage infrastructure projects and establish transparent procurement procedures. Through technical training provided to the private sector, several small awards have been made to Sudanese construction firms to maintain and develop hundreds of kilometers of feeder roads. These roads are providing critical links for the movement of agricultural and other trade goods. USAID built the first materials testing laboratory at the Government of Southern Sudan (GOSS) Ministry of Transport and Roads, enabling quality control to develop structurally sound road networks.
Electric power supply in Southern Sudan is limited and is sporadically available in only three towns. USAID provided assistance to develop Southern Sudan's first electrical cooperative, which is successfully managing revenue collection and electrical services in the town of Yei. The Yei Electric Cooperative now serves more than 325 accounts, and benefits more than 16,000 people. Building on this program, USAID will provide assistance to generate electricity in four additional market towns in the South and the Three Areas.
Revitalizing Agriculture
When the CPA was signed in 2005, nearly a quarter of the population of Southern Sudan faced food insecurity and more than 90 percent lived on less than a dollar per day. USAID is investing in Sudan's agricultural future by addressing the interrelated challenges of poverty and food insecurity.
USAID has supported sustainable agricultural production through technical assistance to producer organizations and government extension services. USAID supported producer organizations to enhance production, management, accounting, and marketing which increased revenues. For example, dairy cooperatives are now processing milk for use in higher-value commodities while improving production and marketing. USAID agricultural programs have targeted women, who comprise 80 percent of the agricultural labor force, and developed women's cooperatives. Future agricultural programs will expand greatly in late 2009 and will focus on small farmers and producers' associations to enhance production, facilitate marketing, extend agricultural credit, and promote post-harvest storage and processing technologies in high production areas near improved road networks in Southern Sudan. Under the Building Responsibility for the Delivery of Government Services (BRIDGE) program, USAID provides support to extend services and training, as well as provide seeds and farming implements to returnees in the tense states bordering northern Sudan.
Because secure property rights are the basis for agricultural production and economic growth, USAID is helping the GOSS to develop a comprehensive land policy through an extensive stakeholder process. In Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan states, USAID helped to organize community land councils to negotiate and demarcate community land boundaries. These efforts are helping to secure land rights and reduce conflict, while at the same time improving access to land for agricultural production.
Protecting the Environment
Conflicts over natural resources were a driving force behind the civil war, and for many Sudanese, the rich forest and wildlife resources provide opportunities for sustainable livelihoods. USAID environment programs support the preservation of natural resources that are critical to sustainable livelihoods. USAID has provided training in forest and wildlife management and environmental compliance. Specifically, USAID helped to build capacity in the southern forestry sector by training officials in proper management of forest concessions and agro-forestry extension. Wildlife officers have been trained in wildlife protection and biodiversity conservation at the Boma Wildlife Training Center, a GOSS facility which was revitalized through USAID support. In addition, more than 500 GOSS officials and NGO workers have been trained in environmentally sound development practices, including environmental impact assessment.
Beginning in 2009, USAID will support a landscape-level biodiversity conservation program aimed at protecting Sudan's rich wildlife resources while enabling communities to benefit from sustainable natural resource management. The program will work with local governments and communities to develop viable national parks, complete landscape plans that encourage environmentally sound economic development, and promote ecotourism and enhanced community livelihoods through sustainable use of natural resources.
Supporting Financial Services and Business Development
USAID support has been instrumental in the development of the microfinance sector in Southern Sudan. USAID support resulted in the creation of the first multi-branch financial institution in post-conflict Southern Sudan, which has disbursed more than $2.7 million in loans to 6,000 clients with a repayment rate of 98 percent. Two-thirds of the loans have been to women. In 2009, USAID is launching a new program to strengthen sound financial management and operations for microfinance institutions in Southern Sudan.
In the area of business development, USAID has provided training and small grants to fledgling enterprises in Southern Sudan, enabling them to expand and become fully operational. Support went to small businesses working in the IT, catering, and construction sectors, creating more than 300 new jobs among the recipient businesses.
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