World Food Programme South Sudan Country Director, Matthew Hollingworth. Photo by Awan Achiek/Sudans Post

JUBA – South Sudan’s cereal production in 2020 has increased by 874,400 metric tons, seven percent higher than 818,500 metric tons in 2019 amid instability, according to a new United Nations report released today.

The UN attributed the increase in cereal production to favorable rains.

“The marginal gains in cereal production show that where there is peace and stability, the people of South Sudan are able to turn the page on hunger,” said Matthew Hollingworth, WFP Representative and Country Director in South Sudan.

Hollingworth said the combined impacts of recurring conflict and huge floods in the three states severely hampered agriculture.

“But in a country still battered by years of war and the ravages of climate change, modest improvements are far from enough to end food insecurity, which is the highest ever. Disrupted livelihoods, heavy losses in livestock and other assets, and high food prices are pushing the average family deeper into poverty and hunger,” he added.

“This growth is encouraging, but lasting peace is the precondition to enable communities to benefit from South Sudan fertile soils produce their own food and exit from humanitarian aid,” said Meshack Malo, FAO Representative in South Sudan.

Malo added that “Our priority is to unleash South Sudan’s potential, increase crop production, and to allow communities to contribute to the expansion of the planted areas.”

Food security is a huge challenge to 7.2 million people, 60 percent of South Sudan’s population.

Violence and conflict, competition among groups over resources such as farmland and water, as well as new protracted displacements due to violence and floods both destroyed assets and eroded communities’ resilience.

The UN report stated that of the country’s ten states, only Western Equatoria produced enough cereal for FAO and WFP to purchase locally to feed the hungry in the other nine states.

Jonglei, Unity and Upper Nile has the highest cereal deficit levels in the country and therefore account for nearly 50 percent of all food-insecure people. - Sudans Post

Telkom Kenya customers will now be able to make payments on the eCitizen platform using T-kash. 

The financial services platform has been integrated into the government digital services platform to enable T-kash customers pay for National and County Government Services.

This includes services offered by the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA), Directorate of Criminal Investigations, Business Registration Service, and Immigration Services. 

The list also includes bundled services under the Civil Registration Department, Office of the Attorney General, Higher Education Loans Board (HELB), The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), National Construction Authority, Kenya Film Commission, National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), Kenya National Qualifications Authority (KNQA) and the Ministries of Land and Mining. 

Through T-kash, entrepreneurs in Mombasa, Nyeri and Kisumu Counties can also pay for their single business permits, trade licenses and e-construction permits – a boon to Kenya’s Ease of Doing Business Program that seeks to, among other actions, further automate service delivery. 

To pay using T-kash on eCitizen, customers will just need to follow the normal Login processes to access the portal, choose the “Telkom T-kash” option, and will be guided by the payment instructions, as indicated, for the service. 

Telkom’s CEO, Mugo KIBATI says this move speaks to one of the firm’s commitments to better position its infrastructure asset base and services, to drive digital transformation within the Consumer, SME, Corporate and Public sectors, to enable them to become smart entities.

“This strategic partnership will help broaden the eCitizen’s revenue collection options, and improve services to Kenyans, as well as cement our ambition to be the technology partner of choice to our consumers, private and public sector clients.” 

Financial services, partnerships, and digitization form part of Telkom’s focus areas. In this strategic direction, Telkom seeks to enrich its financial services offering in response to the evolving digital lifestyle of the consumer, where convenience and simplicity are paramount. 

Recently, the company, through its digital services platform, T-kash, announced its partnership with the Ministry of ICT’s National Youth Council of Kenya (NYCK), to co-create FURSA, an e-wallet that will open up a portfolio of financial opportunities to the youth in Kenya and more so at the grassroots levels. The objective is to increase the youth’s resilience in the midst of physical and infrastructural barriers that obstruct their access to financial services and products. telkom.co.ke ABC