The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in partnership with the African Development Bank (AfDB), has provided information and communication technology (ICT) equipment support to key South Sudanese government institutions. This support is said to play a significant role in the country’s efforts to implement economic governance reforms and strengthen evidence-based policymaking systems.
The donated technology equipment was officially handed over to South Sudan’s Ministry of Finance and Planning, the Finance and Planning Standing Committee of the Transitional National Legislative Assembly (TNLA), and the Bank of South Sudan (the central bank). The support was carried out under the framework of the “Institutional Support Project for Strengthening Economic Governance in South Sudan” (STEG-SS), a project jointly funded by the two international institutions (AfDB and UNDP).
Accordingly, UNDP handed over a total of 72 modern computer items during a ceremony held in Juba, including 30 laptops to the parliamentary Finance and Planning Committee and the Parliamentary Research Centre, 22 laptops to the Ministry of Finance and Planning, and 20 laptops to the Bank of South Sudan.
This institutional support is primarily designed to help the beneficiary government offices enhance their capacity to generate, analyze, and manage data. This will provide substantial assistance for national economic planning, policy formulation, research, and oversight activities.
Speaking at the handover ceremony in Juba, UNDP Senior Economic Advisor Dr. Ligane Sene stated that the assistance aims to build institutional capacity and make economic governance more transparent and efficient.
“This support is not simply about providing equipment; it is rather a major investment to build stronger institutions, deploy improved data systems, and make more effective decisions,” Dr. Ligane Sene explained.
It was also pointed out that the provision of these modern tools promotes a data-driven approach that will strengthen South Sudan’s statistical system, enhance the parliament’s oversight and accountability role, and properly guide public investment and development plans.
According to the United Nations Development Programme, these tools will help the parliament easily access budget analysis, monitoring, and policy information, while the Ministry of Finance will utilize them to design development plans, analyze economic policies, and track ongoing reforms. On the central bank’s side, they will be put to use to strengthen economic research, statistics, and economic forecasting functions.
John Garang Awan, Director General for Sectoral Planning at the Ministry of Finance and Planning, welcomed the support with appreciation and reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to strengthening its working partnership with UNDP.
Charles Abugo, who received the equipment on behalf of the central bank, extended his gratitude to UNDP for the assistance. Meanwhile, Nyiboul Ajong’o, a member of the parliamentary Finance and Planning Committee, emphasized how critical institutional capacity building and human capital development are for the country’s future.
