By William Madouk Garang
The European Union (EU) and the Swedish government have injected $6 million dollar (SSP 7,179,600) into the newly established multi-Donor Transition Trust Fund (MDTTF) for South Sudan.
The European Union contributed $3.2 million (EUR 3 million) while Sweden pumped in $2.9 million (SEK 30 million) into the trust reserve that is administered by the World Bank.
Speaking during the signing ceremony, the EU Ambassador, Timo Olkkonen said it’s vital to contribute to multi donor trust fund to support transition from humanitarian to development-oriented approach.
“We sincerely hope this program will enable the government to mobilize and allocate more of its own resources toward key sectors benefiting the population – such as health and education and that these resources will be managed efficiently and responsibly,” Olkkonen said.
“South Sudan is now at a pivotal juncture in its transition process. And it is crucial that it steps up reforms to strengthen governance and institutions, improve service delivery and strengthen the social contract in the country,” he added.
The head of the Embassy of Sweden in Juba, Tomas Brundin noted that Sweden government donated 2.9 million as a support to the country to recover its economy.
“Sweden’s contribution of around 2.9 million represents a serious effort to help South Sudan get to the right place; by enhancing the government’s responsibility for service delivery,
“Improving public financial accountability and promoting progressive economic reforms that contribute to sustainable economic development in line with the peace agreement is one of the key focus,” envoy Brundin said.
Meanwhile, Firas Raad, World Bank Country manager for South Sudan expressed gratitude to the partners for their strong commitment to the Multi donor transitional trusted fund.
“We hope that this new World Bank –administered multi-donor Trust Fund will help catalyze change in South Sudan by enhancing public sector effectiveness and helping to build an enabling environment for growth, job creation and poverty reduction,” Raad said.
“From our experience in South Sudan, we know that trust funds are not answers; however, with this targeted effort; we believe we can help advance the development agenda,” he expressed.
The MDTTF aims to provide funding for critical capacity-building in key government institutions and to help create an enabling environment for inclusive economic growth.
It also aims to serve as a platform for coherent policy dialogue between the government of South Sudan and development partners on core economic and governance reform priorities.
The MDTTF will implement its activities for an initial four-year period using a phased approach that is aligned with the Government’s national development strategy.
The approach will also be informed by the comparative advantage of the World Bank Group and supported by the contributing donors. The Fund will be governed by a Partnership Council comprised of contributing donors and co-chaired by the World Bank and South Sudan’s Minister of Finance and Planning.
The first MDTTF activities are expected to be endorsed at an inaugural Partnership Council meeting scheduled for March 2023.