The National Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and that of Gender, Child, and Social Welfare on Wednesday handed over equipment worth USD 100,000 to the Commission for Refugee Affairs (CRA) to support the coordination of project activities in refugee-hosting counties of Pariang, Maban, and Juba.
The equipment, which included a Toyota Land Cruiser Hardtop vehicle, four motorbikes, office furniture, printers, four laptops, and two projectors, will be used to implement a flagship safety net project.
According to the agriculture ministry, the support is part of the institutional capacity strengthening and social protection component of the South Sudan Productive Safety Net for Socioeconomic Opportunities Project (SNSOP), also known as Shabaka Meisha (livelihoods net), a five-year USD 199 million World Bank financed initiative led by the Government of South Sudan.
The project aims to provide cash transfers and income-generating opportunities to 1.1 million individuals in 157,500 households in 20 counties across South Sudan and strengthen the National Safety Net Delivery System.
In addition, the assets will facilitate government efforts to provide cash transfers to vulnerable households across 15 counties in South Sudan, including refugee-hosting counties where the refugee commission aims to alleviate the financial burden on vulnerable households amidst inflation and other challenges, enabling them to meet immediate needs and invest in productive activities.
Implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and Ministry of Gender, Child and Social Welfare, the project includes cash transfers, labor-intensive public works to uplift households, and behavioral change training.
Speaking during the handover ceremony, Dr. George Leju Lugor, Director General and acting Undersecretary at the Ministry of Agriculture, said the handover of the assets is in line with his ministry’s mandate to ensure that South Sudanese communities eat what they produce.
“It is good to come together to witness the handover of the assets to be used, particularly by the refugees. But what I want to say is that for us in the ministry of agriculture, this is our mandate,” he said. “As a ministry, our mandate is to support people at the grassroots level with basic livelihoods, and this is where this action will complement the work of the CRA. Our Ministry slogan is ‘Eat what you produce.’”
“So, whatever we are giving, we want the host group, the vulnerable groups, refugees, returnees to benefit so that they become what we call self-reliant,” Dr. Leju added.
First launched nationally in August 2023, the Shabaka Meisha Project builds on the successes and lessons of earlier initiatives supported by the World Bank to reduce vulnerability and strengthen the resilience of South Sudanese households.
For her part, Esther Ikere Eluzai, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Gender, Child and Social Welfare, noted that the donation will not only support the refugees but also the host communities, including women.
“We are happy because if we look into the design of this particular project, it has cut across all sectors. So, the commission is highly involved, and if we look into the components, we find that the youth, women, even lactating mothers, are all benefiting from this very comprehensive project,” she stated. “Also, through this project, refugees can participate fully in social life.”
John Dabi, the deputy head of the Commission for Refugees, commended the World Bank for its support to the government through the agriculture ministry.
“I want to appreciate the Minister of Agriculture, Minister of Gender, Ministry of Interior, and partners like UNOPS who are the ones supporting this implementation,” he said. “We also appreciate the World Bank because without this funding, we would not get these resources to support the refugees. We also want to appreciate the media for covering this event.”