[{"bbox": [97, 153, 1135, 230], "category": "Text", "text": "businesses. This is particularly the case of women who, despite being responsible for household management, suffer of many barriers to access education or participate in decision making at both the household and community levels."}, {"bbox": [97, 257, 1135, 471], "category": "Text", "text": "The challenging context, lack of infrastructure, informal taxes, and insecurity have all contributed hugely to **weak private sector participation** in the rural economy. Consequently, key value chains that could spur economic growth both at sub-national and national levels (such as fruits and vegetables, fish, honey, shea butter, gum Arabic, hides and skins, fish, milk, and local chicken), have all but remained hugely under exploited and undeveloped. Ranked at 185 on the most recent World Bank Ease of Doing Business Index, South Sudan has some of the most unfriendly business regulations, a situation that makes it difficult to promote private sector participation and crowding-in. Private sector participation is further undermined by widespread **corruption**: the 2022 report of Transparency International ranked South Sudan as the most corrupt country across the globe."}, {"bbox": [97, 496, 1135, 630], "category": "Text", "text": "Private sector development and market-based approaches have also been undermined by the **high donor-dependence syndrome** that manifests in rural South Sudan. With a long history of relying on humanitarian support, the rural communities have also somehow lost the will to work their own way out of poverty and be self-reliant. Further humanitarian aid has undermined opportunities for private sector innovation and participation. Free hand-outs, though not only unsustainable, have undermined markets functionality."}, {"bbox": [97, 656, 1135, 762], "category": "Text", "text": "**Returnees (former refugees and IDPs)** face unique challenges as they try to re-integrate in their communities. Given the country's history of conflict, a number of South Sudanese have lost their assets and lands to new settlers and often these are points of conflict when returnees try to re-integrate. Without proper arbitration systems, there often is violence and lack of social cohesion amongst returnees and between these and their host communities."}, {"bbox": [97, 790, 1135, 843], "category": "Section-header", "text": "**Identification of main stakeholders and corresponding institutional and/or organisational issues (mandates, potential roles, and capacities) to be covered by the action:**"}, {"bbox": [97, 868, 1135, 1029], "category": "Text", "text": "**Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MoAFS):** The Ministry has an overall mandate to boost food and nutrition security in the country, ensuring strategies and policies are in place to inform investments in the sector as well as creating a sound regulatory environment. The Action will therefore closely work with National- and State-level Ministry officials, to ensure close coordination and synergies with on-going and future investments by the Government of South Sudan and other development partners. Day-to-day engagement between state and county Agriculture Officials will be on-going as part of implementation processes"}, {"bbox": [97, 1054, 1135, 1240], "category": "Text", "text": "**Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries (MoLF):** The Ministry has the overall mandate for the development of the livestock and fisheries sectors in South Sudan. Considering that livestock is a main livelihood opportunity for a majority of the population of the country (who are themselves either pastoralists or agro-pastoralists), the Ministry will be crucial in providing guidance and direction in all matters related to the sector. Unlocking potential in the fish value chain will also require active participation of the key line ministry, including putting in place the right regulatory frameworks for investors and value chain actors, as well as ensuring sustainable harvesting of fish and overall protection of fish habitats."}, {"bbox": [97, 1266, 1135, 1400], "category": "Text", "text": "**Ministry of Environment and Forestry (MoEF):** With a mandate of ensuring protection and conservation of the environment as well as sustainable utilization of the environmental resource base to meet the needs of both the present and future generations, the Ministry will provide guidance on all environmental protection related aspects of the Action. All interventions will therefore be aligned with the ministry protocols with regard environmental safeguarding and climate change adaptation."}, {"bbox": [97, 1425, 1135, 1612], "category": "Text", "text": "**Ministry of Trade and Industry (MoTI):** The Ministry of Trade & Industry is the lead policy advisor to the Government of South Sudan on trade, industrial, and private sector development, with responsibility for the formulation and implementation of policies for the promotion, growth and development of domestic and international trade and industry. The Ministry is also the advocate for the private sector within government and is the principal agency responsible for monitoring and implementing the Government's private sector development programmes and activities. The Ministry will be therefore crucial in the implementation of the Action, especially with regards the component on private sector participation and development of the key value chains."}, {"bbox": [1027, 1680, 1144, 1705], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "Page 12 of 39"}]