By Alan Clement
Northern Bahr el Ghazal has launched the state’s first-ever County Commissioners’ and Mayors’ Forum since South Sudan’s independence.
The event which marked a milestone in state’s local governance coordination was inaugurated Yesterday by the state’s governor Simon Ober Mawut.
According to the governor’s office, Governor Ober in his speech directed county commissioners and paramount chiefs to end the rampant creation of unauthorized local chieftainships, stressing that the state’s priority remains service delivery.
“We cannot continue with the random creation of new chieftainships and endless disputes over internal boundaries,” Governor Mawut said. “Our focus must be on bringing services to the people and ensuring peace and unity across the state.”
The five-day forum, themed “Building a Peaceful and Prosperous Northern Bahr el Ghazal State,” is being held in line with Resolution 26 of the 8th Governors’ Forum (2024), which mandates states and administrative areas to convene such gatherings.
According to the governor, the platform is intended to foster coordination among local government institutions in addressing administrative challenges. “This forum is an opportunity for us to reflect, exchange ideas, and agree on common strategies that strengthen our local governance structures,” he noted.
The forum brought together county commissioners, state ministers, development partners, and other stakeholders to share experiences and formulate coordinated policy strategies for effective local governance.
Participants are expected to deliberate and produce resolutions on governance, service delivery, peacebuilding, and boundary management across Northern Bahr el Ghazal before issuing a joint communiqué at the end of the conference.