Poverty Determinants in South Sudan: The Case of Renk County

Abstract

This paper aimed to identify and analyzed the main determinants of poverty in South Sudan prior it secession from Sudan in 2011. Primary data were collected using structured household questionnaire. A sample of 200 households was interviewed in Renk County. Multiple Regression analysis was used for estimating poverty determinants. The results of the determinants analyses indicated that secondary education, widow household heads, female household heads, government and private sector employees, petty traders, Gango, dysentery infection, mixed source of water are the main poverty determinants in the urban area. While university education, married household heads, household size, female household heads, farmers, Gango, petty traders, total agricultural land, goats’ ownership and numbers of chicken per households are the rural poverty determinants. As spending on education, health, drinking water and electricity are not only the responsibility of the households but also of the government. It could be concluded that most of poverty determinants could be resolved if the government shoulder its responsibility in providing education, health, drinking water, electricity services as well as providing sufficient salaries for the government employees' and creating, supporting and financing the income generating activities for the non-government employees for both urban and rural households in the State.