A doctoral student is calling on the South Sudan government to invest oil revenues in agriculture to boost the economy.
Stephen Omiri – a certified public accountant, said South Sudan cannot continue to import basic commodities from the neighboring countries and expect a strong currency.
“The oil money must be used for agriculture, let us be a productive society, let’s use the oil money to build a foundation of the economy, any economy is agriculture,” he said on Eye Radio’s Dawn Show on Friday.
“Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania have a surplus because they have production. So, we must use the oil money to invest in agriculture, production must be prioritized and that can be done if there is peace.
Omiri, who is also the Chief Executive Officer of Eye Radio/Media, calls for lasting peace in the country to allow farmers to make use of the fertile land in the country.
He said the country is endowed with resources.
“So, I’m calling upon the political leaders, we want them to prioritize the country, we want them to prioritize the young generation that has the potential to move this country forward.”
“Use the oil money to improve our economy, to move this country forward so that we are respected in the region and our name remains high in the region as South Sudanese.”
The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization said up to 95 percent of South Sudanese rely on farming, herding, or fishing.
But according to the United States international development agency USAID, conflict and climate shocks in South Sudan have significantly damaged agricultural production.
The latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), shows about 7.76 million people in South Sudan have faced or will face hunger between April and July 2023, while 1.4 million children risk being malnourished.