By Sabri Dibaco
The Ministry of Youth and Sports, in partnership with the Embassy of Pakistan, is developing a national youth support program aimed at benefiting more than one million young people through affordable financing for entrepreneurship and business development.
The proposed initiative is intended to help young South Sudanese establish or expand businesses while addressing the country’s high rate of youth unemployment and limited access to affordable capital.
Speaking on Eye Radio’s Zone 72 program, Youth and Sports Minister Atong Kuol Manyang said the initiative would promote youth empowerment, entrepreneurship, and financial inclusion.
“Our meeting’s agenda was a national youth support program. It’s a national program for youth empowerment, entrepreneurship, and financial inclusion through affordable financing,” Atong said.
According to the minister, young people who benefit from the program would access financing through different banks, with repayment periods ranging from 12 to 24 months.
“So, through this project, funds will be given to youth probably in a period of 12 months, 18 months, 24 months, and even monthly installments,” Atong said.
Atong described the proposed arrangement as a revolving fund, meaning that money repaid by beneficiaries would be made available to finance other groups of young people.
“So, it’s like a revolving fund where it is given, and after a certain period it is brought back and given to other groups of young people,” Atong said.
He added that the financing would be channelled through different banking institutions to widen access among young entrepreneurs.
The proposed program comes as South Sudan continues to face major challenges in creating employment opportunities for its growing youth population.
Limited access to start-up capital, inadequate business skills, weak markets, and limited opportunities for formal employment remain barriers for many young people seeking to establish businesses.
The proposed affordable financing mechanism could therefore provide young entrepreneurs with an opportunity to access capital without relying entirely on commercial loans that may carry repayment conditions difficult for small businesses to meet.
Young people make up a significant share of South Sudan’s population, making youth participation in economic activities critical to the country’s development.
Studies and development reports on youth employment in fragile and developing economies have consistently linked access to finance, entrepreneurship training, market opportunities, and skills development with improved prospects for young people to establish sustainable livelihoods.
However, financing alone may not be sufficient. Experts generally emphasise the importance of combining access to capital with business training, mentorship, market linkages, financial literacy, and an enabling environment for small and medium-sized enterprises.
For South Sudan, strengthening youth entrepreneurship could also contribute to household incomes, job creation, and economic diversification.
The proposed National Youth Support Program is being jointly developed by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Embassy of Pakistan, and the Office of the Vice President for the Gender and Youth Cluster.
The initiative was discussed as South Sudan marked International Youth Day on August 12, which placed emphasis on expanding economic opportunities and supporting young people to contribute to national development.
If implemented effectively, the program could provide thousands of young entrepreneurs with access to capital while creating a revolving financing mechanism capable of supporting successive groups of beneficiaries.
The government and its partners are expected to provide further details on the program’s eligibility requirements, financing amounts, participating banks, and application procedures as the initiative moves toward implementation.