Youth demand establishment of youth, women development enterprise funds

JUBA – A coalition of at least 20 national youth organizations in South Sudan is calling on the unity government to urgently establish what would be known as ‘Youth and Women Enterprise Development Fund’ in South Sudan.

The initiative seeks to create employment opportunities for young people through entrepreneurship and encouraging them to be job creators and not job seekers.

The revitalized peace agreement provides for the establishment of the youth enterprise fund commission to help administer the fund.

Peter Malir Biar, Chairperson for South Sudan youth organizations coalition stressed the need for the government should recommit resources for the young people.

“The government should push for youth policies which include youth enterprise development funds establishment as stipulated in 2018 peace the agreement,” Malir told reporters at Thursday’s press conference in Juba.

Malir urged unity government to push for Youth Policies and Bills pending discussions in various arms of the government.

“The youth coalition is calling on the just sworn-in parliament to make sure that the bills for young people are given first priority once start a business,” he said.

He said the funds would support youth programs as they headed for sustainable peace and development.

However, He stressed the need for the government to finalized implementation of the security arrangement as well as address the widespread ethnic violence across the country.

The 2018 revitalized peace deal on the resolution of the conflict in South Sudan provides for the unification of the rival forces to form the first professional national army consisting of 83,000 soldiers drawn from the rival South Sudan parties and the country’s national army, SSPDF.

These troops will make up the police, army, intelligence, and prison services.

But the Revitalized Transitional Government of the National Unity formed in February 2020 has in the past months continued to blame the unified forces graduation’s delay on financial constraints.

Until now, there is no clear date on when to graduate the unified forces as stipulated in the peace agreement.