The Vice President for Regional Development, Integration, and Business Delivery of the African Development Bank, Marie-Laure Akin-Olugbade, has completed a three-day visit to South Sudan.
Akin-Olugbade held meetings with high-level government officials, including First Vice President Riek Machar and various ministers, as well as senior officials from different ministries. The discussions focused on collaboration around the government’s strategic priorities and addressing South Sudan’s development needs.
Dr. Machar expressed gratitude for the strong partnership with the Bank and requested more support in key priority areas such as agriculture, energy, roads, and water and sanitation.
Akin-Olugbade commended South Sudan for its excellent portfolio performance and pledged a sixty percent increase in Bank financing to the country in 2024 to address significant humanitarian and development needs. She also noted the Bank’s allocation of $46.7 million to support agriculture value chain development and commended South Sudan for being one of the first countries to implement the Food and Agriculture Compact program.
The visit also aimed to strengthen support for forcibly displaced persons in the region, with Akin-Olugbade and UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner-Operations, Raouf Mazou, visiting a refugee camp in Maban County.
The vice-president also visited a Bank-financed project in Juba and interacted with staff members at the African Development Bank’s Country Office in South Sudan.
The Bank’s ongoing portfolio in South Sudan amounts to $160 million, with the top sectors being agriculture, skills and social development, and governance.
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Contact:
Joyce Mulama
Communication and External Relations Department
Email: media@afdb.org
About the African Development Bank Group:
The African Development Bank Group is Africa’s premier development finance institution, with three distinct entities: the African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Development Fund (ADF), and the Nigeria Trust Fund (NTF). The Bank contributes to the economic development and social progress of its 54 regional member states. For more information, visit www.AfDB.org