Photo: South Sudan former Minister of Finance Stephen Dhieu Dau and Turkey's Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci sign a cooperation deal in Ankara, Turkey on April 26, 2017/ Tamazuj

The governments of South Sudan and Türkiye have agreed to expedite the ratification of a trade and economic cooperation agreement both countries signed five years ago.

The deal was struck in 2017 in Ankara, Türkiye following the visit by the former finance minister, Stephen Dhieu Dau.

It would allow Turkey to invest in South Sudan’s mining, agriculture, livestock, and fishery as well as the education and health sectors.

Speaking in Juba on Tuesday, Türkiye’s ambassador to South Sudan, Erdem Mutaf said the two governments have decided to speed up the ratification of the agreement.

“We discussed our bilateral trade and economic relations. We talked [about the] ratification process of the signed agreement, and we decided to speed up the ratification process”.

Mutaf made the remarks after meeting Vice President for the economic cluster, Dr. James Wani Igga on Tuesday – 15th of November 2022.