German development agency GIZ plans to expand the Dutch-co-funded Community Oriented Rural Development (CDRD) project to Western Equatoria, Eastern Equatoria and Western Bahr el Ghazal.

GIZ said in a press release sent to Radio Tamazuj on Monday that the expansion would come in the context of broader EU action; Promoting a green and resilient economy in South Sudan.

GIZ is currently implementing the CDRD project in Magwi and Yei counties in Eastern and Central Equatoria.

The project promotes the development of high-yield, agroecological and climate-resilient agriculture and value chains to improve living conditions in rural areas.

The planned expansion in Western Bahr el Ghazal will reach an additional 18,500 households through an integrated approach that promotes green, sustainable and climate-resilient economic development, helping to improve food and nutrition security, the press release said.

He quotes Vittoria Longato, Program Officer for Food Security and Rural Development at the EU Delegation to South Sudan, highlighting the EU’s commitment to improving food security and agro-economic development through this new action .

GIZ has invited Western Bahr el Ghazal stakeholders to a meeting on Thursday in Juba to prepare for the expansion.

Jur River County Commissioner James Ernest Makuei thanked GIZ for its collaboration and highlighted the importance of this earlier opportunity to share its development contributions.

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-financing from the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The multi-donor action with the European Union is expected to start in December 2024.

GIZ is a globally active federal enterprise that supports the German government in international cooperation for sustainable development.