Minister of Commerce: All Work and No Clout

UNCLAS KHARTOUM 001645

SIPDIS

SIPDIS
SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV ECON ETRD SU
SUBJECT: Minister of Commerce: All Work and No Clout


1. (SBU) Summary: Anthony Lino Makana, Government of Southern Sudan
(GoSS) Minister of Commerce, Trade and Supply is the youngest, and
one of the hardest working ministers in the GOSS. A former CARE
project manager with a master's degree in post-conflict
reconstruction, Makana has the qualifications and drive to help
develop the private sector in Southern Sudan. However, he has few
allies and little clout in the government and, as one of the few
ministers to not serve in the SPLA, is perceived as an outsider.
Makana spent most of the war studying in England at the behest of
John Garang, and Garang recalled Makana to serve in this post.
Without support and with few resources, Makana has managed to make a
functioning ministry, although the benefits it can provide are
limited because his colleagues have not taken the time to listen.
End Summary.


2. (SBU) Makana was given ministry offices that are dilapidated even
by GOSS standards, and he has one of the smallest budgets in the
government. However, he managed to secure grants from the British
development agency, DFID, and now has a full complement of computers
and VSAT access to the internet, making his ministry one of the few
with this capability. Unfortunately, the DFID grant that installed
the computers provided minimal training. This has left Makana
without any information management personnel to fix anything that
goes wrong or provide tutorial help to inexperienced users.


3. (SBU) Makana has completed the hiring of his executive staff:
two secretaries general, seven directors, and a dozen deputy
directors, making his ministry one of the first to have done so. He
has also completed his 200-day plan and a proposal to the
Multi-Donor Trust Fund (MDTF) that outlines an intra-ministry
strategy to establish a fully functioning private sector. His
ministry's role in the plan involves the establishment of investment
policy and a strong regulatory environment.


4. (SBU) Few of the other cabinet members have paid much attention
to Makana, and he is often out of the loop in decisions affecting
business growth. GOSS President Salva Kiir has highlighted private
investment as a government priority, but the lead in this effort has
been taken by the Ministry of Cabinet Affairs, the Ministry of
Finance, and the Vice President's Office, with little effective
planning and no clear vision on how to accomplish this task. Not
only do other offices fail to consult with the Ministry of Commerce,
Trade and Supply on such issues as attracting investment,
establishing free markets, and licensing companies, but Makana says
they do not even listen to him when he makes suggestions or forwards
proposals.


5. (SBU) Makana said that he will continue to work hard and put in
long hours in an effort to prove himself and convince his colleagues
that the best way to attract the right kind of investment to the
south is to offer a stable business environment and transparent
regulatory system.

HUME