The trade minister, who gathered valuable insights from her trip to a global ministerial conference in the South African city, shared her views with senior management at the minisry

By Aguok Chok

On Thursday, the National Minister of Trade and Industry, Hon. Atong Kuol Manyang Juuk, met with senior management at the Ministry’s headquarters to brief them on the key lessons and outcomes of her recent official trip to Johannesburg, South Africa.

The Minister had travelled to attend the Global Ministerial Conference on Small Business Development, which brought together trade and industry leaders from around the world to discuss ways of empowering Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).

“We must support our SMEs,” Minister Atong Kuol Manyang Juuk emphasized during the meeting. “They are key to our economy, but they face many challenges, especially when it comes to accessing financial support.”

She noted that her engagements in Johannesburg revealed valuable strategies on how governments can better assist SMEs, particularly those that are already operational in the market.

The meeting focused heavily on the need to improve financial access for small businesses in South Sudan. Officials discussed how limited capital, poor access to digital infrastructure, and the growing impact of climate change continue to undermine the efforts of SMEs across the country.

“Flooding and drought are serious problems,” one participant noted. “These disasters disrupt local businesses and make it harder for them to survive. We need to help them prepare better.”

Minister Atong explained that in South Africa, some SMEs have adopted green and climate-resilient practices to stay operational during harsh conditions. She encouraged her team to explore ways in which such models could be adapted locally.

“We have resilient entrepreneurs here in South Sudan,” she said. “They are trying their best, but we need to scale this up and give them the tools they need.”

The Minister also highlighted the importance of digital access and innovation. According to the briefing, many SMEs remain isolated due to poor internet connectivity and lack of training in modern business tools.

To address these challenges, Hon. Atong announced several initiatives aimed at strengthening the SME ecosystem. These include the creation of a senior advisory body to guide SME support, the establishment of a global SMEs school to train entrepreneurs, and the launch of a two-year roadmap for policy and programmatic implementation. She also revealed plans to build business innovation spaces to foster creativity, networking, and collaboration among small businesses.

“These initiatives are not just ideas,” the Minister said. “They are commitments. We are going to make sure they are implemented and that they bring change to our people.”

She called upon all departments within the Ministry to align their efforts with the new roadmap and to work together to improve communication and policy implementation.

The meeting ended with a strong sense of purpose. Senior management at the ministry agreed on the need to focus on building stronger partnerships with financial institutions, promoting innovation, and encouraging climate resilience among SMEs.

“South Sudanese entrepreneurs have the will,” Minister Atong concluded. “Now, it’s our turn to give them the way.”