Kenya, South Sudan Eye Joint Financial Reforms

(NAIROBI) – South Sudan’s Minister of Finance and Planning, Hon. Dr Marial Dongrin Ater, met with his Kenyan counterpart, Hon. John Mbadi Ng’ongo, Cabinet Secretary for the National Treasury and Economic Planning, to strengthen bilateral economic cooperation between the two countries. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Horn of Africa Initiative in Nairobi on Thursday, 17 July 2025.

The talks focused on improving partnerships between public and private financial institutions in South Sudan and Kenya. Both ministers highlighted the value of enhancing existing cooperation to promote economic development and institutional growth.

Dr Dongrin proposed a series of benchmarking and study tours between the ministries, aimed at building staff capacity through shared experience and mutual learning. The initiative will allow technical teams from both finance ministries to learn from each other’s policy frameworks, systems, and management approaches.

Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary, Hon. Mbadi, welcomed the idea and reaffirmed his country’s continued support to South Sudan. He expressed appreciation for the meeting, saying that Kenya remains committed to assisting South Sudan in areas of technical expertise and material resources. He described the relationship between Nairobi and Juba as “historically cordial” and stressed Kenya’s readiness to continue building on that foundation.

The ministers agreed to develop joint strategies to strengthen regional economic cooperation, aligning with broader goals under the Horn of Africa Initiative, which aims to support infrastructure development, trade facilitation and public finance reforms across participating countries.

Key Bilateral Cooperation Areas