Fighting corruption could be the most effective way of eradicating poverty in the country, a diplomat at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said.

Amb John Andruga, who is currently unassigned, says poverty is rampant because the money which is meant for services delivery is mismanaged.

51% of the South Sudan population are living below national poverty line of less than a dollar per day, UN says.

“Corruption weakens the government capacity to provide services to the people. Now whatever [amount] which supposed to go to education, health, and food security ends up in individuals’ pockets,” Amb Andruga told Eye Radio’s Dawn show.

South Sudan is one of the most corrupt countries in the world, according to Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index for 2014, which ranks the new nation 5^th out of over 170 countries.

Since the inception of the government in 2005, over $4 billion public funds have gone unaccounted for.

In 2012, President Salva Kiir sent out letters to 75 officials who he thought had stolen and stashed money in foreign banks, begging them to return the monies, in vain.

“If corruption is reduced or eliminated, the level of poverty will reduce tremendously,” he added.

He says that agriculture is not flourishing in the country because of the many seeds sold in the country are not of good quality.

(Additional information by Ayuen)