SUDAN: World Bank President Tips Southern Sudan on Development

JUBA - The World Bank Vice President for Africa Region, Ms Obiageli Oby Ezekwesili on her visit to Juba Teaching Hospital has said that the maternal mortality rate in southern Sudan is very high and unacceptable. She made this statement during a press briefing in which she gave an appraisal on the Bank projects in the region. The Minister of Finance and Economic Planning David Deng Athorbei also attended the function. She said that she was alarmed and surprised by the records at the hospital. Before the 2005 agreement, she observed, for every 100,000 women, 2,000 of them died due to delivery complications, while for every 1,000 children born 100 die due to health complications arising from poverty. She added that there were only eight trained midwives in the whole of south Sudan. However, she said, the Bank together with partners like Multi Donor Trust Fund (MDTF) will intervene to arrest this situation.

Ms. Obiageli who was privileged to interact with South Sudanese during her tour here commended the Southern Sudan Private Sector Development Projects (SSPSD) for initiating a business competition which attracted 1600 women applicants in which 25 % of the women winners each got grant worth US$ 20,000 and have already established themselves as entrepreneurs.

She added that she toured poultry and perfumery projects of some of the beneficiaries in Rajaf and got herself a perfume an item she applauded as the pride of southern Sudan women.

She appealed to the government to act as a player in the development process and articulate a long term economic plan for the region. Poverty is unacceptable but nothing can be done in the short term for south Sudan, she said, adding that a proper costing to improve education, agriculture, energy and infrastructures, should be done.

Developing these investments will spur development and the private sector will gain the right footing in many areas of development in all corners of the region, she said. She also observed that “agriculture is where your potential lies most,” adding that South Sudan has the capacity to supply food and cash crops in the wider east African region.

Obiageli said that as per the level of development in the region, everything is a priority but she underscored that education sector should be given more attention with the development of many components like technical and vocational training which have had a slow start.

She proposed increased enrolment of numbers in basic education, provision of school facilities and improved teachers' welfare. She advised the government to let the private sector to determine vocational and technical education because the latter is the ultimate user of the education.