Hon. David Yau Yau, Deputy Minister of ICT & PS,| May 7, 2025 - photo courtesy

The Deputy Minister of Information has called on the World Bank to recruit South Sudanese nationals in senior managerial roles within its projects, instead of relying heavily on foreign staff.

David Yau Yau raised the concern on Monday during a meeting with the World Bank team on the implementation of the East African Regional Digital Integration Project.

In a post shared on the ministry’s Facebook page, Yau Yau said most World Bank-funded projects in the country are overstaffed with foreigners, which limits opportunities for qualified South Sudanese professionals.

He also expressed frustration over delays in project approvals and letters of no objection, saying the slow processes are affecting implementation.

The World Bank is currently funding the rollout of South Sudan’s fiber optic cable project from Kenya, which is expected to be laid early next year.

This is not the first time a senior government official has demanded the allocation of jobs to nationals in both national and international organizations.

In 2022, the former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Peter Mayen Majongdit, directed all humanitarian organizations to implement the order that requires “80% employment rate to South Sudanese.”

The directive stated that non-governmental organizations, both local and international, must employ 80% of their staff from South Sudan and 20% as foreigners.

Majongdit said then that the directive was the second order issued as a resolution for implementing the first one, which came out in April that year.