March 6, 2024 – Our field experience in South Sudan has underscored why Business and Entrepreneurship training is so important and can serve as a catalyst for sustainable peacebuilding. By empowering individuals with economic opportunities, fostering innovation, and promoting self-reliance, it addresses the root causes of conflict, contributes to economic stability, and establishes a foundation for lasting peace. Entrepreneurial skills not only create livelihoods but also cultivate resilience, enabling communities to thrive and break the cycle of poverty and instability. Through fostering a culture of entrepreneurship, we can pave the way for sustainable development, social cohesion, and enduring peace in South Sudan.
We share this vision with our partners, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the United Nations Multi-Partner Trust Fund for Reconciliation, Stabilization and Resilience in South Sudan (RSRTF). Like WPDI, RSRTF has developed a comprehensive approach to peacebuilding. Its collective, interagency strategy aims to foster peace and stability by assisting South Sudanese communities in achieving economic and livelihood advancements that will result in lasting peace, while simultaneously advancing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2030 Agenda outcomes.
In 2023, both partners supported WPDI’s extensive Business & Entrepreneurship program across the Equatoria region. This initiative empowered both young women and men, fostering self-reliance and contributing to the nation’s sustainable development.
The first phase of the program consisted in organizing a series of Business and Entrepreneurship skills training sessions, drawing 759 participants, including 420 males and 339 females. The trainees, who were from a diverse range of demographics, encompassing youth, women, men, and people with disabilities, came from various bomas and payams surrounding our Community Learning Centers, where the training sessions were held.
These sessions aimed to strengthen communities through vocational knowledge and skills for enhanced employability and career development. At the end of the program, the participants identified economic challenges across various aspects of their lives, exploring opportunities and proposing solutions through innovative business plans. This endeavor aims to revitalize markets, fostering an entrepreneurial spirit for human survival.
The next phase involved Business Plan competitions, during which participants had the chance to pitch business projects to an expert jury to be in with the chance of gaining access to WPDI seed funding. In all, WPDI organized 22 such Business Plan Competitions, with 19 in Central Equatoria and 3 in Eastern Equatoria States. In Central Equatoria, 266 participants (169 male, 97 female) engaged, while Eastern Equatoria had 34 participants (18 male, 16 female).
Consequently, WPDI successfully funded 112 businesses in the counties of Yei, Morobo, Lainya, and Kajo-Keji in the Southern Central Equatoria State, and in Ikwotos, Torit, and Nimule in Eastern Equatoria State. Among these businesses, 41 are led by women, while 71 are managed by men.
These businesses take advantage of local resources, assets and opportunities , including in the areas of beekeeping, clinics, motorbike spare parts, vegetable and cereal crop farming, animal rearing, poultry keeping, grinding mills, event organizing, restaurants, motorbike transport, phone charging, food stores, and mixed goods shops, contributing to local economic development.
One participant, Betty Monday from the Mugwo Payam of Yei River County, was proud to be able to expand her beekeeping business thanks to WPDI support: “Prior to receiving support from the Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative, I practiced traditional, small-scale beekeeping due to financial constraints preventing the purchase of modern beehives. With WPDI’s assistance, I’ve transitioned to large-scale modern beekeeping. This support has empowered me to fulfill my dream of becoming a leading producer of quality honey for both local and international markets.”
Business training really stands as a linchpin for peace development in South Sudan. By equipping individuals with entrepreneurial skills, fostering economic resilience, and cultivating self-sufficiency, business initiatives become a cornerstone for stability and progress. Beyond financial empowerment, the ripple effect of thriving businesses includes social cohesion, community development, and the establishment of a foundation for sustainable peace.
In South Sudan, where the consequences of conflict persist, investing in business training emerges not only as an economic strategy to improve livelihoods but as a transformative force, breaking the cycle of poverty and instability, and contributing significantly to the nation’s journey towards lasting peace and prosperity.
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