(JUBA) – The Minister of Trade and Industry, Hon Atong Kuol Manyang, held a meeting in Juba on 21 August 2025 with the Egyptian Ambassador to South Sudan, His Excellency Mohammed El Monatez Mostafa, to strengthen trade and industrial cooperation between the two countries.
The meeting, described as a courtesy call, brought together senior officials from the Ministry of Trade and Industry including the Undersecretary, Hon Ustaz Yel Luol, as well as Director Generals and representatives from the Egyptian Embassy. Discussions focused on reinforcing bilateral trade ties and expanding future collaboration.
Minister Manyang expressed her gratitude to Ambassador Mostafa for his engagement with South Sudan during his four year tenure in Juba, which is now coming to an end. She underlined the importance of following up on the Memorandum of Understanding previously signed between South Sudan and Egypt, particularly in relation to cooperation through the Chamber of Commerce.
The Minister also praised the Egyptian government’s contribution to South Sudan, noting the value of continued support as the country works to build stronger industrial foundations. She stressed her ministry’s long term strategic goal of equipping local industries with modern machinery to enable processing of raw materials into finished goods. According to her, this approach will help create jobs, reduce dependency on imports and add more value to South Sudan’s economy.
Ambassador Mostafa, in his remarks, thanked the Ministry of Trade and Industry for maintaining what he called a strong and productive working relationship with the Egyptian Embassy. He requested that the ministry provide a list of South Sudanese products available for export, which he pledged to share with business stakeholders in Egypt to encourage investment and trade opportunities.
The Ambassador described South Sudan as a “best friend country” to Egypt, and expressed his personal wish for the nation to achieve lasting peace, stability and prosperity.
Trade Ministry Plans Local Industry Boost with Egypt
| Area of Focus | South Sudan Input | Egyptian Support | Expected Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chamber of Commerce | Strengthen cooperation framework | Facilitate business linkages | Better flow of trade and investment |
| Local industry development | Provision of raw materials | Supply of processing equipment | Increased value addition and jobs |
| Export promotion | Honey, fish, livestock, grains, minerals | Market access and Egyptian investments | Wider market for South Sudanese products |
The meeting underlined South Sudan’s intention to diversify its economy by building stronger external partnerships while empowering its local industries.
