Minister of Petroleum, Puot Kang/photo credit: UNDP-South Sudan.

The petroleum minister is appealing to the government of South Sudan to invest oil revenue in other sectors to stop reliance on the proceed.

Puot Kang Chol said this during a press briefing on the resumption of oil production in the Upper Nile state in Juba yesterday.

“What we have been appealing for as the Ministry of petroleum to the government of South Sudan, is that whatever proceeds that we get from the oil proceed, let us use it on other sectors so that we don’t rely on one sector,” said Kang.

South Sudan is currently dependent on food from the neighboring countries despite its vast fertile land due to years of conflict and insecurities.

The country has also be grabbing with inflation, a situation exacerbated by the shutdown of the oil production last year -with the government being unable to pay civil servants salaries and delivers critical social services including health and the education sectors.

A rich oil country endowed with the Nile River, 83 percent of its population do not have access to electricity- and significant number lacking clean drinking water.

According to economic experts, utilizing oil revenue is a strategic move to reduce the country’s economic dependence on the oil industry.

A latest global report on energy capital found out that over-reliance on oil leaves the economy vulnerable to price volatility in global oil markets.

It suggests oil-dependent economies work to establish more resilient and sustainable financial structures.

Investing in other sectors like agriculture, infrastructure, education, and manufacturing can create more employment opportunities.

Channeling oil revenue into sectors like health and education can improve the quality of life for citizens and also developing agriculture could reduce food imports and ensure the country is self-sufficient in feeding its population.