Authorities made public the results from the Rumbek Business Survey that started early this month and concluded on Monday with the revelation that the business sector in the capital of Lakes State is dominated by foreign traders.
Peter Jier Maker, Lakes Sate acting field operation manager of Southern Sudan Centre for Census, Statistics and Evaluation, told Good News radio that non-Sudanese nationals had the lion’s share in the business sector in Rumbek, controlling up to 98 percent of the local trade.Mr. Jier said cell phones and corruption would be the next survey areas in South Sudan followed by what he called mapping.
Meanwhile, Bul Beny Thon, an enumerator with the Lakes Centre for Census, Statistics and Evaluation, said that despite initial suspicions that the survey results could be used for taxation the exercise was a success.
Mr. Thon said that up to 85 percent of Rumbek traders operate from rented shops.
Rumbek residents complain about the high cost of goods in the market while traders justify the exorbitant prices on import costs mostly from the neighbouring East African countries.