Juba, 29 September 2026 — The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS) and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) have signed an addendum to the UNOPS Output Agreement under the South Sudan Safety Net for Socioeconomic Opportunities Project (SNSOP), locally known as Shabaka Meisha. The addendum follows discussions between MAFS and UNOPS on how to accelerate payments to beneficiaries after implementation hurdles caused delays. It revises the implementation arrangements to address those hurdles and advance the processing of outstanding payments.
The addendum was signed in Juba on Tuesday, 29 September 2026, by Hon. Morris Aduol Dut Aduol, Undersecretary of MAFS for Agriculture and Food Security, and Ms Patronella Kassaka Halwindi, UNOPS Country Manager for South Sudan. The signing paves the way for the resumption of all project activities and accelerated project implementation under the revised arrangements, including resuming Direct Income Support (DIS) payments and processing six months of outstanding wage requests for Labour-Intensive Public Works (LIPW) participants across the project’s 20 counties.
SNSOP is a US$199 million Government of South Sudan project financed by the World Bank and implemented by MAFS in collaboration with the Ministry of Gender, Child and Social Welfare, with implementation support from UNOPS and other partners. It targets 157,500 vulnerable households through direct income support, temporary employment in community public works (LIPW), youth economic opportunities and stronger national social protection systems.
The project covers Aweil West, Bor, Gogrial West, Juba, Kapoeta East, Leer, Maban, Malakal, Melut, Mundri West, Pariang, Pibor, Pochalla, Raja, Rubkona, Rumbek Centre, Tonj South, Torit, Yambio and Yei counties.
Cash payments under the project began in December 2024 and progressively expanded across project locations. Through LIPW, beneficiaries have earned income while contributing to building and rehabilitating community assets such as feeder roads, farming, drainage, sanitation facilities and environmental restoration works. However, beneficiaries have experienced delays in some scheduled payments due to challenges with the original implementation arrangements, administrative and operational adjustments, beneficiary verification and measures to strengthen financial accountability and payment accuracy that took longer than anticipated.
MAFS recognises the hardship these delays have caused and remains committed to honouring outstanding entitlements for eligible beneficiaries. After submitting the signed amendment to the World Bank, MAFS and UNOPS will finalise payment preparations, verify eligible records, and communicate the payment schedule through project teams and established community channels.
MAFS thanks beneficiaries for their patience and will provide further updates as the remaining requirements are completed and payments resume.
