At least one million Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) could benefit from the new economic diversification scheme unveiled by the government last week.

The project titled “Jobs Creation and Trade Development” targets over 8,000 farmers and 2,000 micro small enterprises in Juba County of Central Equatoria State and may later consider Western Equatoria State.

The Ministry of Trade and Industry has embarked on investing in fruits and vegetable production to meet both local and international market demands.

This comes as the government seeks to diversify the country’s economy, which mainly relied on the exportation of oil for almost a decade since independence.

A senior official says the move will also develop market value chain and create job opportunities, empowering youths and women in turn.

The $5million project, funded by the European Union under EU Trust Fund for Africa, is the first of its kind in the country and will be implemented by the International Trade Center through the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

Speaking at the project’s validation workshop on Thursday in Juba, the First Undersecretary at the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Agaak Achuil Lual said the scheme came at the right moment as the government was already in the process of negotiating a recession to the world trade organization.

He said it would help build the country’s trade capacity and create competitiveness of micro small medium enterprise along the fruit and vegetable value chain, critical to joining international trade.

“Our ministry will do whatever possible within our jurisdiction to ensure successful implementation of this job creation and trade development project,” Achuil said.

“The government is convinced that trade is an indispensable lever for creating jobs for youths and women and given opportunity for competitiveness and create a climate conducive for micro small and medium enterprises,” he added.

Early this month, the Ministry of Trade and Industry launched the first exportation of 29 metric tons of South Sudan Gum Arabic to Europe to diversify South Sudan’s economy and reduce its total dependence on oil as the source of revenue.

The move was also meant to balance trade and create job opportunity for thousands of unemployed young people including women in the country.

South Sudan currently relies entirely on import of nearly all commodities, including fruits, vegetables, and grains from neighboring countries. If it succeeds, the investment project will relieve the country from this trade imbalance, according to Achiul.