A.        ONGC Videsh Ltd. (OVL) has made an investment of about US$ 2.0 billion (spread over Sudan and South Sudan) in the hydrocarbon sector since 2003.

B.        Over 90% of South Sudan’s budget funding comes from its oil revenues. Production of crude oil was, however, disrupted from December 2013 due to outbreak of civil war in the country, further deteriorating the economy. Since September, 2018, oil production has been revived at a minimal level. It was expected to reach pre-2013 level of 3,20,000 bpd, but the production on ground has remained between 1,30,000 pbd to 170,000 pbd until 2023. However, after damage to one of the two oil pipelines in Sudan in February 2024, 65% of its oil production has stopped.  Oil production has partially resumed in January 2025.

C.        A few Indian companies/companies where majority share is owned by Indians have presence in South Sudan in different fields, like hotel industry, construction, borehole drilling, printing, retail trading, supplier to UN agencies and oil industry-related services. Indians also run supermarkets and restaurants in Juba.

Bilateral Trade

            India's trade with South Sudan is sparse. The main items of Indian imports from South Sudan are oil and timber, whereas India's exports mainly comprise consumer and household goods, food items, pharmaceuticals, motor cycles and three-wheelers. As the trade is mainly through third countries (Uganda, Kenya, UAE), precise data of the same are not available. Bilateral trade figures with South Sudan over the last seven years (from Department of Commerce of India website),  are as follows:
(In million US$)

            Though reliable data is not available, some local companies do import pharma products directly from India.  These are mostly concentrated in the capital city of Juba. South Sudan's global goods imports in 2022 were US$938 million and exports accounted for approx US$544 million. China, Uganda, UAE and Kenya are its major trading partners.

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(As on 04.03.2025)