South Sudan One Year After Independence

Almost one year ago on July 9, the world welcomed the Republic of South Sudan as Africa’s newest independent nation. This joyous occasion was immediately followed by concerted efforts on the part of the South Sudanese government and its international partners to address complex and longstanding development challenges, including effective natural resource management, poverty reduction, gender equity, and peace building with Sudan. As South Sudan approaches the anniversary of its independence, assessing its first year commitments and the progress to date is a critical step for national development efforts and effective collaboration between the country and its international partners.

On June 28, the Africa Growth Initiative (AGI) at Brookings hosted a discussion on the opportunities and obstacles for South Sudan at its one-year anniversary of independence. Panelists included: Ambassador Princeton Lyman, U.S. special envoy to South Sudan and Sudan; AGI Nonresident Senior Fellow John Mukum Mbaku; John Prendergast, co-founder of the Enough Project; Peter Ajak, founder of the Centre for Strategic Analyses and Research in Juba; and Professor Nada Mustafa Ali, faculty member at the New School for Social Research. Brookings Senior Fellow Mwangi S. Kimenyi, director of AGI, provided introductory remarks and moderated the discussion.

You can follow the conversation on this event on Twitter using the hashtag #AGISouthSudan.