Orange Corners South Sudan graduates 23 young entrepreneurs in Juba

By Matik Kueth

On Wednesday, Orange Corners South Sudan celebrated a momentous milestone by graduating its first cohort of 23 ambitious young entrepreneurs in Juba, paving the way for economic innovations in the country.

The initiative, fully funded by the Kingdom of Netherlands and implemented by BizEx Limited, was launched in 2024 with the goal of equipping young entrepreneurs with the necessary skills to start and grow their businesses, offer capacity-building training, masterclasses, coaching, mentor sessions, business development support, and networking opportunities in South Sudan.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony, Deborah Akec, Undersecretary for the Ministry of Youth and Sports, hailed the initiative and expressed gratitude to the Netherlands’ government for its funding.

“The program Orange Corners is not only starting in South Sudan, it started many, many years ago before it arrived in South Sudan. And if something has been there for a number of years, it means it is something good. Those that are not good have died a long time ago,” Akec said.

She added, “And we can see how good it is today that we have had about 24 business-minded people. I don’t want to say business people because I don’t know if some of them own businesses, but they are business-minded. They are looking forward to starting their businesses after this training. They have taken up this training and are graduating today. And others are even more interested to also start today for another six months.”

Paul Tholen, the Netherlands Ambassador to South Sudan, reaffirmed his country’s commitment to fostering the aspirations of young entrepreneurs.

He pointed out that putting young entrepreneurs, both men and women, at the core of economic development can give them a more positive outlook in life.

“Businesses create growth and employment, which leads to opportunities and better lives. And that’s why South Sudan needs private sector development, [particularly for the youth being the 70 percent of the population. The Netherlands believes that young ambitious entrepreneurs can contribute much to the change that’s needed, to get the economy moving and contribute to perspectives for a better future,”
he stressed.

Tholen called for a more conducive business environment in South Sudan in order to promote economic diversification and growth.

However, Prof. Robert Mayom, Vice Chancellor of the University of Juba (UoJ), stressed the significance of the training in assisting young entrepreneurs to put their expertise into action.

He underlined the initiative’s significance in empowering young women, claiming that a country’s growth is dependent on having a large number of educated women.

“Let me congratulate the group which is just graduating today. Congratulation! I am sure for the last six months; you have gained a lot. So, when you go from here, just to make sure that you improve the conditions of this country. Whatever you have been doing. And for the next group, which is coming, congratulations, because for you to be selected among a number of students, or youth, you would have performed extremely well. And especially the ladies, I see almost 43 percent are ladies. I hope next time it’s going to be 63 percent, or even 80. Because for a country to develop, you have to have a very high percentage of ladies who have been educated,” he stated.

Meanwhile, Cliff James Alfred, one of the entrepreneurs who spoke on behalf of his colleagues, expressed appreciation for the initiative’s support and urged the Orange Corners to continue initiating such programs.

The initiative is expected to commence training for its second cohort in February 2025, with 24 participants consisting of 13 males and 11 females.

The Orange Corners is an initiative of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs that provides young entrepreneurs across Africa, Asia and the Middle East with training, mentorship, network, funding and facilities to start and scale their businesses.