This is even though the youngest country in Africa continues to
grapple with economic instability, currency depreciation and persistent
inflationary pressures.
The lender, which entered South Sudan in 2013 through a unique
joint venture with the Government of South Sudan, is increasingly positioning
itself as a key financial partner for farmers, traders, and community-based
enterprises.
The subsidiary, Co-operative Bank South Sudan, is 51 per cent
owned by the Kenyan bank. At the same time, the South Sudan government, on behalf of the
country’s co-operative movement, holds the remaining 49 per cent.
The latest sign of this commitment came this week when the bank
hosted a capacity-building forum bringing together 41 co-operative societies
drawn from Northern Bahr el Ghazal State.
The forum focused on strengthening governance, financial
management, agribusiness development and entrepreneurship skills among members.
It also exposes them to opportunities for accessing banking
services and affordable financing.
The State Minister of Land and Housing, Dominic Kang, who represented the Governor of NBG State, accompanied by the State Minister of Co-operatives & Rural Development, Ayak Zacharia Ngor, officially opened the forum.
The key Agenda of the forum was to discuss and 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 Co-ops participating in the forum, 11 of them are beneficiaries of the Rural Enterprise & Agriculture Development (READ).
The seven-year project is funded by IFAD CBSS, participating as an Implementation Partner alongside the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the South Sudan Government through the Ministry of Agriculture & Food Security.
The project is a provision of rural financial services to the beneficiaries who are based in six counties of South Sudan, including Aweil Centre in the North Bahr el-Ghazal State.
Northern Bahr El Ghazal State has over 300 cooperative societies located in five counties and draws its membership from agricultural and business communities.
The initiative reflects the lender’s long-standing belief that co-operatives can serve as powerful engines of economic transformation, particularly in agriculture and small-scale commerce, where access to formal financial services remains limited.
The strategy mirrors the model that has underpinned Co-operative Bank’s success in Kenya, where the institution draws strength from a co-operative movement comprising more than 15 million members.
Through thousands of savings and credit co-operatives and producer societies across Kenya and the wider region, the bank has built one of East Africa’s largest customer networks.
That connection gives the lender a distinct advantage in South Sudan, where officials see co-operatives as an important vehicle for boosting agricultural output, improving market access and expanding financial inclusion.
The South Sudan operation is now beginning to show tangible results despite years of economic headwinds.
In the first quarter of 2026, Co-operative Bank South Sudan posted a profit before tax of Sh99 million, marking a significant turnaround from a Sh47 million loss recorded during the same period last year.
The performance represented the subsidiary’s first positive quarterly result since the bank entered the market.
The turnaround contributed to a record quarter for the wider
Co-operative Bank Group.
For the three months ended March 2026, the Group reported a profit after tax of Sh8.41 billion, up 21.3 per cent from Sh6.93 billion a year earlier, while profit before tax rose 18.1 per cent to Sh11.37 billion.
Total assets grew to Sh884.6 billion, with customer deposits increasing to Sh612.2 billion.
The Group chief executive, Gideon Muriuki, has consistently defended the bank’s long-term investment in South Sudan, arguing that the co-operative model offers a sustainable pathway for economic development.
