The World Bank Group Executive Board of Directors has approved International Development Association (IDA) grant financing to the Government of the Republic of South Sudan (GoSS) to support the strengthening of institutional and human resource capabilities in the public service. The IDA grant of $15 million will be supplemented by GoSS counterpart funding of $3 million, bringing the total project amount to $18 million.
The grant will finance the Building Institutional Foundations for an Effective Public Service Project (BIFEPS), which aims to improve state capacity over a three-year period. The project focuses on strengthening policies, procedures, and systems for civil service management; supporting institutional development for sustainable public sector capacity; and incentivizing effective implementation of selected sector reforms. This intervention is intended to enhance the government's ability to fulfill its service delivery functions effectively.
“This project will lay the foundation for an effective and efficient public service including through enhanced institutional capacity to attract and retain qualified public servants, a competency-based human resource management framework in the civil service, and the establishment of a performance-based culture in service delivery. Its interventions will complement ongoing sectoral operations supported by the World Bank, putting in place foundational elements needed to sustain reforms in the long run and strengthen government ownership,” said Maryam Salim, World Bank Country Director for Eritrea, Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Sudan.
The project aligns with both the World Bank Group’s strategy in South Sudan—which emphasizes strengthening institutions and capacity—and with priorities outlined by GoSS in Chapter IV of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS) and Revised National Development Strategy (R-NDS) 2021–2024. These documents underscore reforming civil service as part of transparent, accountable governance.
“The Government recognizes the central role that public servants play in service delivery. It is therefore imperative that sectors across public service have structures and staffing that align with their functions, and that we invest in building a pipeline of future civil servants by providing opportunities for qualified young professionals to gain work experience in, and potentially join, public service,” said Honorable Dak Duop Bichiok, Minister of Public Service and Human Resource Development.
Additionally, improved public service effectiveness requires a well-functioning pension scheme where eligible civil servants can retire to create space for new talent. The project will also support improving conditions for a transparent and accountable pension fund.
* The World Bank’s International Development Association was established in 1960 to help low-income countries by providing grants and low-to-zero-interest loans aimed at boosting economic growth, reducing poverty, and improving lives. IDA has provided $552 billion since its inception to 115 countries. Annual commitments have averaged about $36 billion over FY21-FY23 with approximately 75% allocated to Africa.
Media contacts:
In Addis Ababa: Gelila Woodeneh (+251 11 5 17 6 000 / gwoodeneh@worldbank.org)
In Juba: Lomoro A. John Sindani (+211 925 472 380 / lsindani@worldbankgroup.org)
In Washington D.C.: Aude Rabault (arabault@worldbankgroup.org)