14/08/2026
SOUTH SUDAN: I WENT AS A VISITOR, BUT I CAME AWAY SEEING POSSIBILITY 🇸🇸❤️🌍
I went to South Sudan as a visitor.
I came away seeing possibility.
I saw land.
I saw people.
I saw culture.
I saw food.
I saw natural resources.
I saw regional trade opportunities.
And I saw a country that, with stronger institutions, security, infrastructure and private-sector development, could unlock far more of its economic potential.
But before I tell you what I saw, let me tell you what caught my attention first.
THE LAND.
Vast. Open. Natural.
The beautiful African earth stretching far into the distance, without mountains blocking the sunshine.
The sun seemed to rise and stay with you almost the whole day. ☀️
And then came the heat! 🥵😂
For the first time in my life, I experienced that hot African wind blowing across the land.
Strangely enough, it made the experience even more special.
Then came the FOOD! 😋❤️
If you love fish, my friend, South Sudan will understand you! 😂🐟
Fresh fish.
Smoked fish.
Fish everywhere.
And the traditional food — the groundnut soup, soft chapati-like breads and other local dishes — gave me that feeling of eating something deeply connected to the land.
And then there was the tea.
Men gathering by the roadside, sitting together and drinking hot African tea under that hot African sun. ☕🥵😂
I looked around and thought:
Eeh... Motherland. 🤗❤️
This is Africa.
Not the Africa we sometimes see through headlines.
The Africa of people.
The Africa of food.
The Africa of conversations.
The Africa of land.
The Africa of possibilities.
But I also saw the challenges.
South Sudan has serious issues that cannot simply be ignored:
Corruption.
Currency instability.
Insecurity in some areas and along some routes.
Weak infrastructure.
Limited access to reliable electricity and services.
Difficulties moving goods and people efficiently.
And personally, one thing that really stayed with me was the journey from Nimule towards Juba.
In my experience, there were several stops along the road, and at different points I encountered requests for payments.
Whether someone is carrying a passport or not, a traveller should not have to feel that they must continuously pay unofficial charges simply to move through their own country or across a border.
That is where systems must change.
Imagine an immigration and border system where travellers know exactly what they are required to pay, where payments are transparent, where borders are efficient, and where movement of people and goods is treated as an opportunity for economic growth rather than an obstacle.
Now imagine something even bigger.
What if corruption was reduced?
What if borders became efficient?
What if roads connected farmers to markets?
What if agriculture became commercial?
What if fish were processed locally instead of simply sold raw?
What if young South Sudanese became entrepreneurs, manufacturers, exporters and investors?
What if Juba became a serious regional trade hub?
What if South Sudan connected more strongly with Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Sudan, DRC and the Central African Republic?
The potential is enormous.
And yes, South Sudan has serious challenges.
But a country should not be defined only by its problems.
South Sudan doesn't lack potential.
South Sudan needs systems that allow its potential to breathe.
And this is why I believe Africa should stop looking at African countries only through the lens of what is wrong.
We must also ask:
What could this country become if we fixed what is holding it back?
What if farmers could produce at commercial scale and reliably reach markets?
What if roads and infrastructure supported trade?
What if local industries processed the country's own resources?
What if young people were empowered to build businesses instead of only looking for employment?
What if regional trade became easier?
What if investment could flow into agriculture, manufacturing, logistics, food processing, tourism and other productive sectors?
There is so much that can be built.
So much that can be transformed.
So much that can be created by Africans, for Africa.
My visit reminded me that Africa is not poor in ideas, resources, people or possibilities.
Sometimes what is missing is the system that connects the potential to the opportunity.
I went to South Sudan as a visitor.
I came away seeing possibility.
I saw land.
I saw people.
I saw culture.
I saw food.
I saw natural resources.
I saw regional trade opportunities.
And I saw a country that, with stronger institutions, security, infrastructure and private-sector development, could unlock far more of its economic potential.
So I will say this again:
AFRICA IS AFRICA. 🌍❤️
Let us not only ask what is wrong with Africa.
Let us start asking:
What can Africa become when we build the systems, businesses, infrastructure and partnerships that allow its potential to breathe?
🇸🇸❤️🌍
