The Republic of South Sudan and the Arab Republic of Egypt signed five Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) today as Hesham Qandil, Egypt’s Prime Minister, visited Juba accompanied by a large delegation.

The bilateral cooperation agreements relate to ways that Egypt can contribute through development as well as private investment to South Sudan’s various sectors.

Two MOUs were signed in the area of health, two in the area of animal resources and fisheries while one was signed in agriculture.  In all cases, South Sudan’s Vice President, Riak Machar, witnessed the respective ministers sign each agreement alongside their Egyptian counterparts.

Machar claimed that the initiative demonstrates the importance of the relationship between the two countries.

A bilateral agreement signed previously between Egypt and South Sudan concerns higher education. The two countries shall continue to discuss the areas of general education, trade and water resources.

Qandil’s delegation included high level investors and he stressed that Egypt wants to build a strong and balanced relationship with all of its neighbours, including the nation of South Sudan.

“We realised that South Sudan is a key player in the region. We are not starting from scratch but from a solid and very historical relationship. We want to build on it and bring a new frontier,” he claimed.

Egypt pledged to do more work in South Sudan in the area of electricity and to reinforce its the private sector in order to bring investment, particularly from the Gulf.

The Minister of Health, Dr. Michael Milli Hussein, reportedly urged the Egyptian Prime Minister to consider offering a higher number of scholarships to medical students, so as to increase the number of qualified medical personnel within the health sector.  In the previous year alone Egypt offered scholarships to 390 South Sudanese students, of which less than 5% went to medical students.

The agreements signed by the Ministry of Animal Resources and Fisheries relate to developments in genetic improvement, artificial insemination and the dairy sector.

South Sudan signed a security matrix with Sudan last Friday, in order to implement a peace agreement signed last September.  Both countries have suffered economically since South Sudan halted oil production, the revenue of which formerly comprised 98% of its annual budget, early last year.

Photo: Egyptian Prime Minister Hesham Qandil speaks during a press conference with South Sudanese Vice President Riek Machar (right) in Juba, 14 March 2013 (Annet Yobu/Juba Post)