(AWEIL COUNTY) – Co-operative Bank of South Sudan is increasing its support for the country’s co operative movement as it positions itself to expand growth in agriculture, rural trade and small business financing despite South Sudan’s economic challenges.
The lender is continuing to invest in community based enterprises, farmers and traders even as South Sudan faces currency depreciation, inflationary pressure and weak economic conditions.
Co-operative Bank entered South Sudan in 2013 through a joint venture partnership with the Government of South Sudan. The South Sudan subsidiary is owned 51 per cent by Kenya’s Co operative Bank Group, while the South Sudan government holds the remaining 49 per cent on behalf of the country’s co operative movement.
The latest sign of the bank’s strategy came this week during a capacity building forum held in Aweil Town in Northern Bahr el Ghazal State, bringing together 41 co operative societies from across the state.
The event focused on improving governance, financial management, agribusiness development and entrepreneurship skills among co operative members. Participants were also introduced to opportunities for banking services and access to affordable financing.
South Sudan’s Minister of Land, Housing and Public Utilities, Dominic Kang, represented the state governor during the opening of the forum. He was joined by State Minister of Co operatives and Rural Development Ayak Zacharia Ngor and the Chairman of Co operative Bank of South Sudan, Eng William Mayar Wol.
Discussions at the forum focused on how co operatives can help revive South Sudan’s economy through improved food security, better market access and employment creation.
Out of the participating primary co operatives, 11 are beneficiaries of the Rural Enterprise and Agriculture Development project, widely known as READ.
The seven year programme is funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development together with Co operative Bank of South Sudan, the United Nations Development Programme and the Government of South Sudan through the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.
The project supports rural financial services in six counties across South Sudan, including Aweil Centre County in Northern Bahr el Ghazal State.
Northern Bahr el Ghazal currently has more than 300 co operative societies spread across five counties, with membership drawn mainly from farming and business communities.
Banking analysts say the initiative reflects growing confidence that co operatives can become an important tool for economic recovery, especially in agriculture and small scale trade where access to formal banking services remains limited.
The approach follows the business model that helped Co operative Bank grow into one of Kenya’s largest lenders through links with savings and credit co operatives and producer societies representing more than 15 million members.
The bank believes a similar model can support financial inclusion and rural business growth in South Sudan, where much of the population still depends on agriculture and informal trade.
The South Sudan subsidiary has recently started showing financial improvement despite difficult operating conditions in the country.
During the first quarter of 2026, Co operative Bank South Sudan recorded a profit before tax of 99 million Kenyan shillings, equal to about US$766,000 or roughly 4.44 billion South Sudan Pounds using the current market exchange rate of 1 US Dollar to 5,800 SSP.
This marked a significant recovery from a loss of 47 million Kenyan shillings during the same period last year. The previous loss was equal to approximately US$364,000 or around 2.11 billion SSP.
The latest results represent the first positive quarterly performance since the bank began operations in South Sudan.
The improved South Sudan performance also contributed to stronger earnings for the wider Co operative Bank Group.
For the three months ending March 2026, the Group posted a profit after tax of 8.41 billion Kenyan shillings, equivalent to about US$65 million or around 376.8 billion SSP.
Profit before tax rose to 11.37 billion Kenyan shillings, equivalent to roughly US$87.8 million or about 509.2 billion SSP.
The Group’s total assets reached 884.6 billion Kenyan shillings, equivalent to around US$6.83 billion or approximately 39.6 trillion SSP, while customer deposits increased to 612.2 billion Kenyan shillings, equal to roughly US$4.73 billion or about 27.4 trillion SSP.
Group Chief Executive Gideon Muriuki has defended the bank’s investment strategy in South Sudan, saying the co operative banking model offers a practical and sustainable route towards economic development and financial inclusion in rural communities.
Economic observers say expanding access to finance for farmers, traders and rural enterprises could play an important role in helping South Sudan diversify its economy beyond oil revenues while improving food production and local trade networks.