Kate Crawford, USAID South Sudan Mission Director during an interview on Eye Radio’s flagship program, the Dawn Show on Tuesday, January 24, 2023 - Credit: Eye Radio/Moses Awan

The Mission Director of the US Agency for International Development has called on stakeholders to invest more in youth development in South Sudan.

Kate Crawford has called for an end to the sub-national violence to pave the way for investment in youth development in South Sudan.

She says youth can play a major role in developing the country, but only when there is stability.

According to USAID, South Sudan’s youth experience many challenges, ranging from limited access to educational opportunities and health services to high unemployment and limited opportunities to engage in productive livelihoods.

It says studies have shown that youth who have no possibility to attend school or acquire skills to earn a living or lead productive lives are a latent force for instability.

USAID added that limited access to education and livelihood skills and scarce employment opportunities leave out-of-school youth vulnerable to negative coping methods such as substance abuse and crime, recruitment by armed groups, and mental health challenges.

Speaking on Eye Radio’s Dawn show earlier today, USAID Mission Director, Kate Crawford called on the government and partners to invest more in youth for a better South Sudan.

“Investing in youth in this country, donors, particularly government, state governments, families, communities, will define the future of South Sudan, and the future has great potential,” said Kate Crawford.

“There are many obstacles to overcome right now and in order to get there and do right by the youth of this country, we absolutely need security and stopping the violence at the sub-national level in order to move forward,

“I just encourage everybody to invest seriously in the youth of South Sudan.”

Several reports indicate that youths constitute almost 72 percent of the population in South Sudan, yet most of them are unemployed.

The youth unemployment rate in the country is estimated at 12 percent.

Researchers attribute this to high illiteracy rates brought about by a series of civil wars, since the liberation struggle in the eighties and the recent political violence in the country.