Africa-Press – South-Sudan. South Sudan’s struggling economy is being crippled by two key issues: a lack of internal trade and persistent political instability, according to economic experts.
Speaking on the “Round South Sudan” show, economist Abraham Maleit highlighted the absence of a viable internal market as a primary driver of the crisis.
He explained that money is effectively “draining out” of the country’s economic center and getting stuck in the states.
“We get money here in the centre; we send it to the states, and the states never bring it back because there is nothing to buy, so that the money can come back,” Maleit said.
“Money always goes through the goods and services. Now there are no goods and services between the states and the national government.”
Maleit noted that all money sent to local villages and hometowns remains there, with no mechanism for it to circulate back into the central economy.
He contrasted this with the country’s external trade, which he described as far more “robust and effective” with neighbors like Uganda and Kenya.
Echoing these concerns, public accountant Stephen Omiri, who is also the CEO of Eye Media, pointed to political instability as the root cause of many economic problems.
Omiri argued that the constant political competition has prevented the government from functioning properly, leading to a breakdown in services and an inability to pay civil servants.
“This issue of political instability that has caused us not to pay our people has also made our people parasites,” Omiri said.
He described a scenario where citizens, including police officers, resort to desperate measures to survive because their salaries are not paid.
According to Omiri, if the country’s leaders could set aside political differences and allow the government to do its work, the economy would open up, and people would be able to return to productive activities like farming.
“If we can really stop this political competition and allow the current government to do their best, then we will be able to go and farm in Malakal and other places,” he concluded, stressing that freedom of movement and stability are essential for economic growth.
Source: Eye Radio
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