South Sudan has made the transition from a state-owned broadcaster to a public broadcaster following the passage of the South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation (SSBC) Act in 2013 and the establishment of a management committee in 2016. As the only public broadcaster and TV broadcaster in the country, SSBC plays a very important role and is expected to broadcast accurately, neutrally, and fairly, free from state and market influence. To this end, SSBC is required to secure independence in terms of organizational structure and financial resources, and to improve its capabilities in news reporting and program production. Under these circumstances, the Government of Japan provided assistance to strengthen the capacity of SSBC staff in basic program production and reporting, as well as in the operation of the necessary equipment, with the aim of raising awareness among SSBC headquarters staff and developing their capacity to fulfill these functions. As a result, a sense of being a public broadcaster took root among SSBC employees, and basic broadcasting operations as a news organization began to be carried out. However, SSBC still faces many challenges in fulfilling its functions independently and developmentally. In particular, there is an urgent need to strengthen its reporting and programming capacity in order to guarantee access to information throughout the country in preparation for the first general elections to be held after independence. Therefore, this cooperation aims to improve SSBC’s overall capabilities as a news organization, including local staff, and to guarantee access to information for viewers throughout the country. SSBC will contribute to the public’s trust in broadcasting throughout Japan by strengthening its organizational capabilities.
© Source JICA