By Matik Kueth
On Friday, the Minister of Youth and Sports, Atong Kuol Manyang, said South Sudan is looking to deepen sports cooperation with Egypt as part of efforts to improve sporting infrastructure and develop young talent.
Addressing journalists at JIA upon her arrival from Egypt, Kuol stated the two countries discussed support for sports facilities, training programmes and opportunities for South Sudanese athletes to train in Egypt.
She noted that South Sudan specifically asked Egypt to support the development of a sports city or multi-sport complex, saying improved infrastructure is critical to the country’s sporting development.
“We need support from Egypt. the support is in areas of developing our infrastructure, especially talking about sports city or multi-sport complex center, so that this can support the sport activities,” Kuol said.
Kuol stressed that the two countries also discussed training South Sudanese coaches, referees and sports administrators, as well as opportunities for national teams and athletes to train in Egypt, which has more developed sporting facilities.
“The second one was also training of our coaches, referees, and sports administrators. The third one was opportunities for South Sudanese national teams and athletes to undertake some training in Egypt, because they have better facilities,” she noted.
She emphasized that youth development was another priority, with discussions covering leadership, entrepreneurship and skills development, adding that technical teams from the two countries will now work on the details of the proposed areas of cooperation.
The minister further said the two countries also agreed to review an existing memorandum of understanding on youth cooperation, which has expired, and expand it to include sports.
The talks also covered upcoming sporting engagements between the two countries, including Egypt’s football team travelling to South Sudan for a qualifying match later this month.
South Sudan’s blind football team is also expected to travel to Egypt in November 2026.
Kuol underlined the government’s commitment to using youth and sports cooperation not only to promote sporting activities but also to strengthen relations between the two countries.
“Finally, we agreed that youth and sport should be used to bridge the friendship, understanding and cooperation between our two nations and work together to create a brighter future for our young people,” she emphasized.