The recent passage of the National Youth Policy 2025 by South Sudan’s Transitional National Legislature marks a historic and transformative milestone in the nation’s journey toward inclusive development and lasting peace. As a youth empowerment advocate, I celebrate this long-awaited victory—not merely as a policy success, but as a recognition of the central role young people must play in shaping South Sudan’s political, economic, and social destiny.
For over a decade, youth advocates, civil society actors, and progressive leaders have relentlessly pushed for a legal and institutional framework that speaks directly to the realities of South Sudan’s young majority. Today, their voices have finally translated into tangible legislative progress. The 20% youth quota in government and the 10% national budget allocation for youth programs are not just numbers—they are commitments to empowerment, participation, and generational renewal.
However, passing the policy is only the beginning of a larger struggle. Implementation will determine whether it becomes a foundation for progress or just another well-written document in the corridors of ministries. South Sudan’s youth cannot afford this policy being symbolic; it must be funded, and monitored with transparency and accountability.
With more than 70% of the population under 30, South Sudan’s demographic reality is both a challenge and an opportunity. The youth are the untapped energy that can drive peacebuilding, innovation, and nation-building. The new policy’s focus on entrepreneurship, vocational training, and health education—including sexual and reproductive health—is a practical approach to addressing unemployment, inequality, and the social vulnerabilities that push young people toward cycles of violence and displacement.
If implemented faithfully, this framework could reduce dependency on humanitarian aid, inspire community-based enterprise, and stimulate local economies through youth-driven initiatives. A youth who is trained, employed, and empowered becomes a stakeholder in peace, not a victim of conflict.
The transformation of the former South Sudan Youth Union into the South Sudan National Youth Council—aligned with East African Community standards—is another crucial reform. It creates a legitimate, structured, and accountable body to represent youth interests nationally and regionally. Yet, for the Council to be effective, it must remain non-partisan, inclusive, and transparent reflecting the diversity of South Sudan’s youth across gender, ethnicity, and geography.
To translate this policy into impact, several urgent steps are needed:
1. Establish a youth implementation taskforce composed of representatives from government, the civil society, and youth-led organizations to guide and monitor rollout.
2. Ensure the 10% budget allocation is reflected in the national budget and disbursed to youth programs.
3. Develop a clear results framework to measure progress on youth employment, education, participation, and health outcomes.
4. Invest in civic education and dissemination so that young people across the states understand their rights, responsibilities, and opportunities under this policy.
5. Foster partnerships between the government, private sector, and the international partners to scale up youth entrepreneurship, innovation hubs, and agribusiness initiatives.
To the youth of South Sudan—this policy belongs to you. It is your blueprint for transformation. Engage with it, monitor its implementation, and hold your leaders accountable. Do not wait to be invited to the table. The policy has already reserved your seat. Rise and claim it with ideas, discipline, and unity of purpose.
The National Youth Policy 2025 is more than a legislative achievement—it is a renewed social contract between the state and its youth. It carries the potential to shift South Sudan from dependency to productivity, from exclusion to participation, and from conflict to sustainable peace. But for it to succeed, political will must meet youth resolve.
We must now move from celebration to action—from policy to practice—because the true test of leadership lies not in passing laws, but in changing lives.
The writer, Simon Kuony Jial, is a youth empowerment advocate. He can be reached via email: kuonyjial@gmail.com
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