South Sudan ambassador to Uganda is urging his country-people living as refugees in the southern neighborhood to return home and invest, citing the return of peace in the country.
Ambassador Simon Juach Deng made the remarks at during a small gathering to mark the 40th anniversary of the SPLA Day at the South Sudan Embassy in Kampala on May 16, 2023.
Ambassador Deng reportedly said the agriculture and industrialization sectors in South Sudan are ready for investment opportunities.
“The South Sudan economy has improved since 2018. Come back and invest in South Sudan because it is strategically located in the East African Community (EAC). That is why we have both licensed and unlicensed Ugandans doing business. I am inviting you to pass the message that there is peace across the country,” Ambassador Deng said as reported by Daily Monitor.
According to the diplomat, 67 percent of South Sudan is rich and suitable for agriculture, and only four percent of it is under cultivation.
He added that agriculture, agro-industrialisation, electricity generation, petroleum, and mining are sectors with opportunities for other East African countries to exploit to realise stability in the region.
He also urged citizens of neighboring countries to invest in South Sudan, although he acknowledged the presence of “some small armed groups” causing economic sabotage by ambushing traders and robbing them of their merchandise.
About 2.3 million South Sudanese have been displaced to neighboring countries since the conflict began in December 2013, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
Uganda is the largest South Sudanese refugee hosting country in the world, followed by Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Democratic Republic of Congo and Central African Republic.
UNHCR indicates that Uganda currently hosts nearly one million South Sudanese refugees, the vast majority of them women and children.