More than 1,000 women in South Sudan are stepping into entrepreneurship with renewed confidence, backed by a national initiative that aims to equip them with the skills, resources and networks needed to succeed. The Women Entrepreneurs Boot Camp, launched by the Ministry of Gender, Child and Social Welfare, is a major milestone in the country’s journey toward inclusive economic development and a bold response to the urgent need for gender equity in the business space.
The initiative is delivered through the Women’s Economic Opportunity Fund (WEOF), under the broader South Sudan Women’s Social and Economic Empowerment Project (SSWSEEP). Designed to support aspiring and early-stage women entrepreneurs, the boot camp combines practical training, mentorship and funding opportunities to help participants build businesses that are not only viable but sustainable.
The scale of the program is ambitious and carefully structured. A total of 1,182 women were selected from a pool of more than 3,400 applicants who responded to a nationwide call for applications earlier this year. The selected women are being trained in two cohorts, 600 in the first group and 582 in the second, across three venues in Juba: Orange Corner, the Central Equatoria Women’s Union and Accasia. The sessions are scheduled to run until mid-August 2025 for the first cohort.
These women are not just learning how to run businesses, they are becoming catalysts for broader social change. Once training is complete, each participant will pitch her business idea to a technical selection committee. From there, 900 women will be awarded grants ranging from USD $2,000 to $4,000 based on the quality, innovation and feasibility of their proposals. These grants are specifically designed to help scale businesses that show potential for growth and impact.
Driving Long-Term Impact Through Women-Led Businesses
The impact of the boot camp goes far beyond its training curriculum. At the launch event, the Ministry’s Director General for Finance and Administration, Joseph Loro German, spoke about the program’s potential to shape South Sudan’s economic future. He praised the determination of the women selected and called on them to embrace collaboration and make the most of the opportunity. In his words, they are the changemakers and builders of the nation’s future.
Program Manager Timothy Yobuta emphasized the strategic groundwork that informed the design of the boot camp. According to him, the initiative is rooted in a long-term vision. It follows two years of market research and has embedded mechanisms for feedback and redress to ensure the process remains fair, transparent and accessible. This, he said, is not just a training program, it’s a commitment to inclusive growth backed by real accountability.
International development partners have also rallied around the initiative, highlighting its broader impact on families and communities. UN Women Project Manager Lansana Wonneh described the boot camp as transformative. He noted that beyond business, the program would empower women to contribute more meaningfully to household decisions, support their children’s education and raise their voices in community matters. It is, in his view, a critical tool for long-term social progress.
Richard Orengo, Country Director of the International Rescue Committee (IRC), echoed this sentiment. He pointed out that investing in women entrepreneurs has a ripple effect: the benefits extend from businesses to families and from individual success stories to community-wide development. Orengo emphasized that programs like these help lay the groundwork for sustainable local economies by supporting those who have historically been excluded from formal financial and entrepreneurial systems.
A New Chapter for Women-Led Enterprises in South Sudan
The Women Entrepreneurs Boot Camp represents a larger vision for South Sudan’s economic future, one where women are not just included but are actively shaping the direction of growth. It sends a clear message: building an inclusive economy starts with investing in those who have the drive but have lacked access to the tools.
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) form the foundation of many economies and in South Sudan, women-led businesses are already playing vital roles in markets, agriculture, services and manufacturing. Yet, systemic barriers such as limited access to finance, low levels of business education and lack of networks continue to hold many women back. This boot camp is designed to tackle these barriers head-on.
By offering both training and funding, the program addresses two of the biggest challenges faced by women entrepreneurs, capacity and capital. But more importantly, it places women at the center of South Sudan’s development strategy. The selection process was competitive and inclusive, giving women from different backgrounds a chance to turn their ideas into real businesses. The intensive nature of the training ensures that by the end of the program, each participant is better equipped to manage finances, identify market opportunities and grow their enterprise in a sustainable way.
The grants, awarded after a rigorous evaluation of business proposals, are not just a financial boost. They are a vote of confidence. They recognize the potential of women entrepreneurs to drive meaningful change. Whether it’s a woman starting a tailoring business, scaling a food-processing venture or innovating in agri-business, the capital will allow her to grow, hire others and contribute to local economies.
Importantly, this initiative isn’t happening in isolation. It is part of the government’s broader efforts under the SSWSEEP to improve women’s economic participation across sectors. The Ministry continues to engage with national and international partners to ensure the continuity of support, technical assistance and future financing options.
As South Sudan charts its path toward stability and growth, empowering women through entrepreneurship is not only smart economics, it is foundational. This boot camp is helping rewrite the narrative, shifting women from the margins of the economy to its center. The skills gained, the businesses launched and the confidence built through this program will serve as the foundation for long-term, inclusive progress.
South Sudan’s women entrepreneurs are rising and with them, a new future for the country is taking shape.
