The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Secretariat, in partnership with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the IOM African Capacity Building Centre (ACBC), has launched a specialized training program in Juba to strengthen the capacity of South Sudan’s frontline border officers.
Funded by the European Union under Phase 2 of the Support to the Free Movement of Persons and Transhumance in the IGAD Region (FMPT2) project, the initiative aims to enhance integrated border management while paving the way for South Sudan to ratify and implement the IGAD Protocol on the Free Movement of Persons.
The capacity-building program builds on South Sudan’s key milestones, including its official signing of the Free Movement Protocol on June 17, 2022, and the validation of its national implementation roadmap in Juba on June 25, 2025.
IGAD Secretariat Immigration Expert Mujib Jemal emphasized that modern border governance requires robust institutional coordination to manage complex security challenges.
“As IGAD member states advance regional integration and free movement, strengthening the capacity of border management institutions and frontline officers is essential,” he said. “Our borders must facilitate safe, orderly, regular, and secure movement, while responding effectively to emerging challenges, including migrant smuggling, trafficking in persons, illicit trade, and transnational organized crime.”
Jemal noted that border management cannot be handled by a single agency or nation in isolation, calling instead for effective interagency cooperation, timely information sharing, and cross-border collaboration among immigration, police, and regional partners.
Echoing these remarks, ILO Technical Officer Kossivi Doutowovo, speaking on behalf of ILO Country Director Kumboga Ndaba, highlighted the economic and social potential of well-managed borders.
“Across the IGAD region, borders are not only points of control; they are also places where regional integration becomes real,” he stated. “Effective border governance must combine security with facilitation, protection, and respect for rights.”
Doutowovo stressed that frontline border officials are often the first public authority migrant workers encounter, making their training vital to ensuring mobility occurs through legal channels while safeguarding human rights and expanding labor opportunities across East Africa.
Representing local immigration authorities, Yuang Maketh Yuang, Director of Training for South Sudan’s Civil Registry, Nationality, Passports, and Immigration, welcomed the capacity-building initiative, highlighting its importance for national sovereignty and regional alignment.
“Border management is very important because we are members of IGAD as well as the East African Community,” Yuang said. “Foreigners entering the country must pass through the border where documents are thoroughly and reasonably checked, ensuring visitors respect our norms and cultures.”
Over the course of the training, participants will cover key operational areas including document security, identity systems, labor migration governance, and cross-border protection mechanisms.
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