South Sudan: Anti-Corruption Reforms Should be a Prerequisite to Wooing Foreign Investment

April 10, 2019 (Washington, D.C.) – A high-level South Sudanese ministerial delegation is in Washington, D.C. this week as part of the World Bank Group’s 2019 Spring Meetings. The delegation will be hosting an event tomorrow advertising South Sudan as a destination for foreign investors following the signing of the peace deal in September last year.

While foreign investment in South Sudan is crucial, investing in the current environment of mass corruption and instability will only feed the entrenched kleptocracy and further enable corrupt leaders to continue to siphon off state funds. Furthermore, the implementation of the tenuous peace deal is behind schedule. Many critical stipulations on curbing rampant corruption in the country, which can directly impact foreign investment, are not being implemented.

Brian Adeba, Deputy Director of Policy at the Enough Project, said: “Ideally, investing in South Sudan would be a noble idea to alleviate the current economic hurdles the country is facing. However, given the grand corruption, government red tape, and prevailing political instability arising from the failure to implement the peace agreement, South Sudan is a highly risky environment for foreign investors. Until the requisite anti-corruption reforms in the peace agreement are implemented, investing in South Sudan should not be a palatable endeavor for foreign investors.”

Real anti-corruption reforms, called for in the September peace agreement, to strengthen institutions and legislation that could impact investment need to be implemented urgently. The implementation of these reforms is crucial to ensure a stable investing environment for investors and to ensure that the benefits from investments will ultimately aid the country’s people and its stability.

For media inquiries or interview requests, please contact please contact: Megha Swamy at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +1-202-580-7671.

Read the Enough Project and The Sentry’s recent reports on corruption in South Sudan:

• A Hijacked State: Violent Kleptocracy in South Sudan
• Banking on War: Ending the abuse of South Sudan’s banking sector by political elites and pushing for peace
• Safeguards to Peace: Steps Toward Governance in South Sudan

About THE ENOUGH PROJECT

The Enough Project supports peace and an end to mass atrocities in Africa’s deadliest conflict zones. Together with its investigative initiative The Sentry, Enough counters armed groups, violent kleptocratic regimes, and their commercial partners that are sustained and enriched by corruption, criminal activity, and the trafficking of natural resources. By helping to create consequences for the major perpetrators and facilitators of atrocities and corruption, Enough seeks to build leverage in support of peace and good governance. Enough conducts research in conflict zones, engages governments and the private sector on potential policy solutions, and mobilizes public campaigns focused on peace, human rights, and breaking the links between war and illicit profit. Learn more – and join us – at www.EnoughProject.org.