Co-op Bank South Sudan Hosts Cooperatives Forum

The Co-operative Bank of South Sudan (CBSS) hosted 41 cooperative societies based in Northern Bahr el Ghazal State (NBG) for a capacity-building forum to deepen the impact of the cooperative model in farming and business in the State and across South Sudan.

The state forum, hosted in partnership with Northern Bahr el Ghazal State Co-operatives Union and the NBG State Government, is part of the commitment by the Co-op Bank of South Sudan to build and replicate the successful cooperative banking model in South Sudan.

The Forum was officially opened by the State Minister of Land & Housing, Mr. Dominic Kang,, who represented the Governor of NBG State accompanied by the State Minister of Co-operatives & Rural Development, Ayak Zacharia Ngor and the Chairman of Co-op Bank South Sudan Eng. William Wol. The  forum sought to formulate approaches that co-operatives can adopt towards rejuvenating the South Sudan economy through food security, market access and employment creation.

Out of the primary Coops participating in the forum, 11 of them are beneficiaries of the Rural Enterprise & Agriculture Development (READ) Project, a seven-year IFAD funded Project that CBSS is participating in as an implementation partner alongside United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the South Sudan Government through the Ministry of Agriculture & Food Security.

The role of Co-op Bank in this Project is provision of rural financial services to the beneficiaries who are based in six counties of South Sudan, including Aweil Centre in NBG State.

Northern Bahr El Ghazal State has over 300 cooperative societies located in 5 counties and draw their membership from agricultural and business communities. Primary cooperatives came together and formed the Northern Bahr El Ghazal State Cooperative Union in September 2025 to serve as the umbrella organization for representing all cooperatives outside the State, as well as helping in pooling of resources and advocacy.

NBG State Coop Union is also one of the founding Unions of the South Sudan Co-operative Alliance that was launched in May 2026. Co-operative Bank of South Sudan continues to invest in partnerships with key stakeholders including the National and State Governments, Development Partners, NGOs and the private sector to enhance the adoption of the successful co-operative banking model in South Sudan.

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