South Sudan is a state still in conflict. Border tensions and the struggle over oil rents have fostered cross-border raids, Sudanese bombings of refugee camps, and reprisal incursions. The decision in February 2012 to stop pumping oil, which generates 98% of government revenue and is the country’s only export, has plunged the country into economic crisis.

The International Growth Centre (IGC), which is based at LSE and in partnership with Oxford University, established a presence in South Sudan in May 2012, staffed with an Economist and Deputy Country Directory permanently located in Juba. The IGC will help in three broad areas: responding to crisis, managing natural resources for growth, and in addressing isolation, economic diversification and job creation.

Peter Biar Ajak, the IGC Deputy Country Director, talked at Growth Week 2012 about the challenges facing South Sudan and how the IGC can contribute to its development.

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