The Minister of Youth and Sports Dr. Joseph Geng Akech has disclosed his vision to transform South Sudan’s sport industry through commercialization to unleash its economic potential for the country.
Speaking in Juba, Dr. Akech spelled out details of his Sport Development Policy 2024 – approved by the national cabinet on August 30 – in which he requested an annual budget allocation of 5 million dollars for.
The minister said young people in the country have immense economic potential which must be unleashed by empowering them to achieve their dreams.
He encouraged South Sudan’s private sector and business community to invest in sports sector, adding that the industry could steer the country to lasting peace and economic stability.
“Three weeks ago, we passed a sports development policy in which the government’s vision is very clear, we want to commercialize sports, so that if you are playing, you are playing to get an income,” he said.
Minister Akech said the primary goal of the policy is to promote sports and foster a sense of national pride and community development among the youth of South Sudan.
It aims to increase investment in sports from both the government and the private sector, particularly through the development of infrastructure.
“There is economic development for the country, but also there is peace, because in sports there is peace. The government has this policy, and going forward, we would like to see private sector accompanying us and taking a big part in the development of sports.”
“We aim to see the private sector going to federations and wanting to invest in athletics, so that the best runners in the region will be South Sudanese in two years,” Akech said.
“Somebody going to basketball and saying, in 2028 in Los Angeles in Olympics, South Sudan should come with gold medal.”
In November 2024, the youth minister is expected to hold its first ever financing conference at the Bank of South Sudan sports facility.
Minister Geng said the conference will bring the private sector and business community to discuss how to invest in sports.
He added that all federations in the country will showcase their potential to persuade investors and reach deals with them in the sports sector.
“This conference is going to bring stakeholders together. The private sector and our business community, we want to tell them, we are not asking for support. We are showing you the potential for investment, the commercial value in sports.”
“You put your money, it is not a gift, put your money, there is reward. So those who watch football, they know premier league very well in England, I’m told that it is worth 9 billion British pound, how much is that in dollars and in our currency?”
“It is a lot, and it is only one league. So there is commercial value, it is not a request, our role in the government is to show that sports has money, and there is money in it, so invest there.”
South Sudan’s sports facilities remain underdeveloped. Despite the country’s huge basketball potential, there is no in-door basketball court, while the only standard FIFA-built football stadium was recently inaugurated in Juba.
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