A delegation from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in South Sudan on Thursday visited Western Equatoria State to assess the work of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Speaking to the media after meeting the state governor and officials, Dr. Takele Tassew who led the USAID team, said the purpose of his visit was to assess the impacts of their work in the state. He said more discussions were going to be held to improve agricultural productivity.
“We had a very productive meeting. The purpose of the meeting was to monitor and evaluate our activities in Yambio, their impacts and the first place we wanted to start was to hear what the governor has to say about the different activities we do here,” Dr. Tassew said. “We discussed opportunities, challenges, and the best way to move forward. Agreed to come back next time and discuss in detail. Suffice to say that the discussions have been very productive and the governor agreed to provide for us any support we need wherever we go.”
For his part, Western Equatoria State governor Alfred Futuyo Karaba appreciated USAID for their work and assured them of cooperation and security.
“For the issue of our visitors who came from Juba, USAID, they came to see the security situation in the state and what can be done so that the state is better in agriculture,” Governor Futuyo said. “I told them that they can help in projects like beekeeping, poultry, and how to use the resources of the state for the development. They fund FAO and came to see how to contribute to more agricultural and development activities. I told them the challenges here and the problems that can fail a project and the things that can make them succeed.”