On the morning of Monday, March 31st, 2025, while scrolling through my Facebook feed, a video of Kenyan President William Ruto touring his farm caught my attention.
I paused to watch and listen as he drove a modern tractor alongside his wife and a presidential aide. In his remarks, he stated, ‘A nation that can’t feed itself can’t claim independence.”
His message carries significant importance which strongly applies to our situation in South Sudan. Our country has been dependent on food imports for thirteen years since obtaining independence through our independence in 2011. We import vegetables like tomatoes, onions and cabbage from Uganda and Kenya due to our lack of investment in agriculture as the foundation of our economy.
On March 26, 2025, I and a team from UJOSS and Media Mentors Network had a beneficial discussion with the Managing Director of Co-operative Bank of South Sudan Mr. Elijah Wamalwa. A banking sector leader who serves as a visionary shared economic approach which would reduce US dollar pressure against the South Sudanese pound since its devaluation has occurred throughout years. His advice confirmed my idea that our economic approach demands fundamental changes to establish food security and economic autonomy.
South Sudan possesses great agricultural capability. Our territory contains productive soil together with a suitable climate which combines with capable local residents. We allow the unregulated entry of basic food products while we settle for imported goods. Our dependence on foreign food products creates both economic risks and jeopardizes our national independence.
Vice President Benjamin Bol Mel’s economic cluster chair must initiate immediate actions. If I were him, I would go for a six-month ban on importing vegetables and poultry products represents an essential plan which I recommend for implementation. Such measures will promote homegrown products and drive the nation toward sustainability.
Yes, such a move will be disruptive. The rising prices could create hardships and businesses dealing with imports will face difficulties. To me, it is worth the try. The advantages from this approach extend beyond short-term difficulties into enduring benefits for our economy. Through increased agricultural production our farmers will become more active and our nation will build economic independence.
The government must execute these key strategies to make this transition successful:
• The government needs to deliver seeds together with fertilizers and irrigation equipment as well as contemporary farming tools to our farmers. The priority needs to be both financial support for farming and low-interest agricultural loans. The banks we have can help the government with financing the approach.
• Farmers require the establishment of roads and storage facilities together with processing plants which will protect their produce from wastage after harvest.
The government should establish regulations regarding food imports because this action will protect local farmers from unfair competition while providing them with market access. Many South Sudanese farmers avoid farming because of the ongoing conflict and insecurity. The agricultural sector will grow through investments when farmers have a stable environment.
Citizens need to understand how vital it is to choose products from local producers. The productivity of farmers can be increased through training that teaches them modern farming methods.
Transformational leaders make difficult decisions. The temporary prohibition of critical imports appears severe yet serves as an essential move to create economic stability. Our ability to produce our own food makes it illogical to keep purchasing from neighboring countries.
Multiple African nations have applied similar agricultural restrictions which yielded outstanding results. Rice imports in Nigeria became illegal which triggered substantial growth of the domestic rice farming sector. The same approach should be applied by South Sudan to develop its vegetable, poultry and egg industries.
Financial institutions together with banks play a vital role in this transformative process. The financial sector must extend affordable credit options to both farmers and agribusiness entrepreneurs. The Co-operative Bank of South Sudan stands as a demonstration of the bank’s dedication to economic development. Other financial institutions must join by supporting agricultural projects and enabling local enterprises to grow.
Taking immediate action today will enable South Sudan to establish itself as a major food producer in the upcoming ten years. We will become tomato and onion exporters instead of importers. We will spend our money on domestic poultry products instead of importing poultry from foreign countries. Our economic stability will increase while our currency value strengthens and our citizens gain true independence dividends.
A change in leadership style and organizational commitment to change will bring this vision into reality. We need to escape the bonds of dependence in order to adopt self-sufficiency as our new way of life. The time for transformation is now!
South Sudan faces an important decision at this present moment. The nation faces two possible paths: maintaining economic weakness through total imports or starting active steps toward becoming self-sufficient.
The restriction of select food imports during a set period will force us to improve our agricultural investment and create a secure future. The construction of great nations occurs through courageous national decisions even when such steps prove difficult.
The time has arrived for our economy to fall under our control. Our nation will achieve full independence when we develop the capability to produce our own food supply.