German development agency GIZ is planning to expand the Community Driven Rural Development (CDRD) project, which is co-funded by the Netherlands, to Western Equatoria, Eastern Equatoria, and Western Bahr el-Ghazal.
GIZ said in a press release sent to Radio Tamazuj Monday that the expansion would be in the context of a larger EU Action; Promoting a Green & Resilient Economy in South Sudan.
GIZ currently implements the CDRD project in the counties of Magwi and Yei in Eastern and Central Equatoria.
The project promotes the development of high-yield, agroecological and climate-resilient agriculture and value chains to improve the living conditions in rural areas.
The planned expansion to Western Bahr el-Ghazal will reach an additional 18,500 households through an integrative approach, which promotes green, sustainable, and climate-resilient economic development contributing to improved food and nutrition security, the press release says.
It quotes Vittoria Longato, the Program Officer for Food Security and Rural Development at the EU Delegation in South Sudan, stressing the commitment of the EU to improving food security and agroeconomic development through the new action.
GIZ has invited stakeholders from Western Bahr el-Ghazal to a meeting in Juba on Thursday in preparation for the expansion.
Jur River County Commissioner James Ernest Makuei has thanked GIZ for the collaboration and emphasized the importance of the earlier opportunity to share their inputs for the development.
The CDRD-project has been implemented by GIZ since 2022 on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) with co-funding from the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The Multi-Donor Action with the European Union is envisaged to start in December 2024.
GIZ is a federal enterprise with worldwide operations that supports the German government in international cooperation for sustainable development.