STRENGTHENING TRADE INDIA & SOUTH SUDAN

Managing pharmaceutical procurement for IRC South Sudan's operations across five states — Juba, Malakal, Bentiu, Wau, and Bor — means sourcing medicines that are affordable, WHO-GMP compliant, and reliably deliverable into one of the world's most complex logistics environments. Indian WHO-GMP generics are the backbone of our formulary — Cipla, Aurobindo, and Sun Pharma supply our antimalarials (artemether-lumefantrine — South Sudan has one of the highest malaria mortality rates in Africa), our antibiotics (amoxicillin, azithromycin), and our ORS for watery diarrhoea. No Halal requirement here — unlike our programmes in Sudan or Somalia, South Sudan is a Christian-majority country and standard capsules and tablets work without any gelatin concerns. The logistics challenge is the real issue: everything comes in through Juba and is then forward-deployed by air charter (UNHAS — UN Humanitarian Air Service) to our field locations. Lead time from India to Juba is 8–10 weeks minimum, so we maintain a 3-month rolling safety stock. For pharmaceutical exporters new to this market: UNGM registration is essential, and you must be on the UNICEF pre-qualification list before IRC or any serious humanitarian buyer will engage you.

ONGC Videsh's equity in DPOC (Dar Petroleum Operating Company) — our oil fields in Unity State, Blocks 1, 2, and 4 — creates a natural gateway for Indian equipment suppliers into South Sudan's energy sector. We operate in one of the world's most remote and challenging environments: Unity State is accessible only by light aircraft to the Bentiu/Rubkona airstrip or by road during the dry season, and everything we use for production has to be planned and procured 6–12 months in advance. Indian suppliers who understand this operational reality and can provide the technical documentation we need — pump curves, material certificates, ATEX certification for hazardous areas, detailed dimensional drawings — are our preferred vendors. We use WPIL pumps for our water injection systems and Kirloskar DG sets for our process power backup — the quality is exactly what we need at 25–35% lower cost than equivalent European suppliers. Emergency parts: air freight from Mumbai to Juba International Airport, then chartered flight to Bentiu — total 72 hours from supplier to field, which is critical when you have production downtime. The ONGC Videsh vendor portal is the fastest route for any Indian manufacturer to access our procurement requirements formally.

Building in Juba is not for the faint-hearted — but it is rewarding. My company, Custom Market Construction, has completed 14 projects in Juba over the past 6 years including the Konyo Konyo market extension, three commercial buildings on Bahr el Jebel Road, and residential compounds for NGO staff near Hai Malakal. Every project uses Indian materials coming through Mombasa — JSW rebar (which arrives at Mombasa Port and we truck to Juba in about 10–12 days after clearance), Indian GI corrugated roofing sheets which are seen on literally every building in Juba, and Polycab electrical cables. KCB Bank South Sudan is where we handle all our trade payments — USD wire transfers from KCB Juba to the Indian supplier's bank in Mundra or Mumbai. The Nimule border crossing with Uganda is very active for smaller, faster shipments from Kampala where Indian goods arrive via Mombasa and are often redistributed. My advice for Indian suppliers: be patient with the lead times, price in USD only, and use KCB for your payment terms. South Sudan is a market that rewards those who understand its complexity — demand is real and margins are good.