Without economic freedom, our political sovereignty remains a shell, loud in speech, but hollow in practice

By Rose Ssali

When we, the beloved people of South Sudan, raised our flag on July 9, 2011, the world watched in awe as a new nation was born. We sang with pride. We danced with hope. We embraced our hard-won political independence. But more than a decade later, a sobering question confronts us: What do we truly understand independence to mean?

Independence is not simply the absence of foreign rule. It is the presence of capacity, dignity, and self-sufficiency. A country is not truly independent if its people must be fed by donor agencies, treated in foreign hospitals, or educated abroad because there are no schools at home. That is not freedom. That is survival.

To walk tall among the nations, political and economic independence must go hand in hand. They are twins. Without economic freedom, our political sovereignty remains a shell, loud in speech, but hollow in practice.

It is time to look inward. It is time to rise.

Feeding Ourselves: Reviving the Soil of Our Identity

The land of South Sudan is rich. Our soil is fertile. The mighty Nile flows through our borders with abundance. So why are we hungry?

We must return to the basics, to the wisdom of our ancestors who farmed without imported fertilizers, who turned cow dung into rich manure, who planted with the seasons and harvested with reverence. Our future lies not in dependency, but in rediscovering and modernizing our traditions.

Let us build man-made canals, harnessing the Nile’s flow to irrigate the land year-round. We must construct local dams, dig wells, and develop extensive irrigation networks. These are not dreams too big. They are necessities long delayed.

Every community must plant trees—millions of them. Trees to shade the land, break the wind, hold the soil, and restore rainfall patterns disrupted by climate change. Trees that speak of renewal and continuity.

We must build barns and silos, not only for storing food, but for preserving dignity. Let every harvest be secured, every seed safeguarded for tomorrow.

Healing Ourselves: Honoring Indigenous Knowledge

Health is more than hospitals. It is the knowledge passed down through generations, the healing roots, the bark, the leaves, the hands of grandmothers and medicine men who knew the land and its gifts.

South Sudan has indigenous healing systems and herbs that are unique to our soil and culture. Let us preserve this knowledge, research it, validate it, and integrate it into our modern health system.

Moreover, hundreds of South Sudanese doctors and health professionals serve in foreign lands, skilled, respected, and deeply missed. We must create an environment that beckons them home, not only with good pay but with purpose, safety, and facilities that make their service count.

We must stop exporting our talent and importing our medicine. Let us build the systems that allow us to heal ourselves.

Peace-making as Infrastructure

No development thrives where peace does not dwell. We must recognize that our elders and chiefs are not obsolete. They are the bridge to peace and stability. Let them speak into conflicts. Let traditional reconciliation methods be strengthened, not sidelined.

Yes, the government must build roads, hospitals, and schools, but the people must build the soul of the nation. Development is not only concrete and steel. It is also trust, dialogue, and shared purpose.

Let each of us be a peacemaker in our communities, not a pawn in political rivalries. Peace is not the government’s job alone. It is the price of collective progress.

Unlocking Our Natural Wealth

Economic independence is not a fantasy for South Sudan. It is a vision well within reach because we are already richly endowed. What we need is the will to harness it.

We sit on vast oil and gas reserves, a natural resource that, if managed with transparency and long-term planning, can fund our future and not fuel our conflicts. Beyond oil, we possess something far more enduring: the land itself. South Sudan has over 94 percent arable land. For comparison, Israel—a global agricultural powerhouse—has only about 4 percent arable land and yet exports fruit, vegetables, and grain to the world.

We can grow our own food. We can feed not just ourselves, we can become the breadbasket of our region.

Our athletes, born of resilience and raw talent, can fly our flag across the world stage. With investment in training facilities, sponsorship, and proper management, South Sudan’s sons and daughters can place us on the map in global sports. Sports tourism is a growing industry, and we must seize it.

Our natural beauty is unrivalled. We have one of the most untouched wildlife ecosystems in the world. Our national parks and migratory routes rival the Serengeti, yet remain hidden treasures. Tourism could become one of our largest foreign exchange earners if we build the infrastructure to welcome the world.

Our cultural wealth is immeasurable. As a nation that sits on the banks of the Nile, we are the custodians of ancient stories and sacred traditions passed down through generations. We must share them through books, music, festivals, and films. Let the world come to know us not by war, but by wonder.

The foundations of economic independence already exist. All that is required now is vision, unity, and courage.

The Time to Rise Is Now

We are the youngest nation in the world, but youth is not an excuse for perpetual infancy. The world may call us new, but we must refuse to be called naïve. We must refuse to be economic babies who must be fed on the formula of someone else’s choice.

Let us step up and step out.

Let every farmer till the land with pride. Let every teacher light a candle of knowledge. Let every entrepreneur dream in the language of innovation. Let every leader govern with humility and vision.

Let us pursue growth in our own fashion, rooted in our identity, guided by our values, and powered by our unity.

Political and economic independence cannot be separated; one is the lyrics the other is the melody. They are twins, they must go together.

Rose Ssali is a Pan African Development analyst, specialised in international law and diplomacy. She is also the Book Review Editor of the Int’l Journal of the Institute for African Renaissance Studies (UNISA)