Here’s a practical, sequenced diversification playbook centered on agriculture, livestock/fisheries, and (non-oil) mining—plus the cross-cutting enablers to make them work.

Core Principles

• Security first, markets second: protect key production/transport corridors so private actors will invest.

• Many small wins > one mega plan: pilot, prove, then scale.

• Local value-add: don’t just grow—process and package.

• Transparent rules: cut predation & red tape so traders, farmers, and miners can operate safely.

A. Agriculture (Food & Cash Crops)

Priority value chains (fastest payoff)

• Staples: sorghum, maize, cassava, rice (floodplains), groundnuts.

• Cash/Export niches: sesame, gum arabic, shea (karité), honey, hibiscus, chili, sunflower.

• Vegetables & poultry near towns (import substitution).

What to do (12–36 months)

1. Seed & input systems

   • Approve/import drought-tolerant seed; set up last-mile agro-dealer networks; e-voucher subsidies for the poorest.

2. Small irrigation & water control

   • Rehabilitate community schemes (treadle pumps, solar pumps, canal clearing) around the Nile/Sobat/Bahr el Ghazal.

3. Post-harvest & storage

   • Roll out hermetic bags, village silos, drying floors; promote warehouse-receipt pilots in county capitals.

4. Market access

   • Fix feeder roads to nearest border/river port; eliminate informal checkpoints; publish official fee schedules at markets.

5. Light processing clusters

   • County-level mini-mills (maize/sorghum), oil presses (sesame/sunflower), shea butter cooperatives, peanut shellers.

6. Institutional buys (guaranteed demand)

   • “Home-Grown School Feeding” sourcing from local farmers; hospitals/prisons adopt local-procurement quotas.

B. Livestock & Fisheries

Why this matters

Cattle, goats, and fisheries already support millions; organized properly, they generate quick foreign exchange and jobs.

What to do

1. Animal health at scale

   • Community animal-health workers, vaccination campaigns (CBPP, PPR, FMD), cross-border vet cooperation.

2. Rangeland & conflict management

   • Mark livestock corridors, water points, and negotiated grazing agreements; early-warning & mediation teams.

3. Value addition

   • Hide/skin curing, milk chilling points (solar), small abattoirs meeting EAC basic standards, bone-and-blood by-products.

4. Fisheries

   • Nile & Sudd management: seasonal closures, legal mesh sizes, landing sites with ice/cold boxes; promote smoked/solar-dried fish.

5. Export readiness

   • Certification for live-animal and chilled meat exports to regional markets (Uganda/Kenya/DRC/Ethiopia).

C. Mining (Non-Oil) — Gold, Limestone, Construction Materials

Objectives-

Formalize and de-risk artisanal mining, capture royalties without fueling conflict, and enable domestic cement/aggregates.

What to do-

1. Clean licensing & transparent cadastre

   • One-stop online registry; public map of concessions; time-bound approvals; zero tolerance for duplicate claims.

2. ASM formalization

   • Register cooperatives, safety training, mercury-free processing units, off-take contracts at published prices.

3. Community benefit & safeguards

   • Standard Community Development Agreements (fixed % for water, schools, clinics), environmental monitoring.

4. Downstream

   • Fast-track limestone→cement plants where feasible to cut import bills; promote quarrying standards for construction boom.

Cross-Cutting Enablers

• Trade & standards: adopt EAC norms, sanitary/phytosanitary (SPS) guides, simple export permits; mutual recognition with neighbors.

• Finance: guarantee facility for agribusiness SMEs; inventory/receivables finance via warehouse receipts; micro-leasing (pumps, grinders, cold rooms).

• Digital & data: mobile money for farmgate payments; price dashboards by county in radio + SMS; e-voucher inputs.

• Infrastructure focus (no sprawl): concentrate works on 4–6 economic corridors (e.g., Juba–Nimule; Wau–Aweil; Bor–Malakal river; Yei–Kaya; Torit–Kapoeta; Yambio–Nabiapai).

• Land & governance: community land mapping, quick local dispute resolution, one-page contract templates for out-growers.

• Anti-corruption “red lines”: publish fees, digitize payments, independent audit of commodity boards and the mining cadastre.

Sequenced Roadmap

First 90 days (quick wins)

• Name and legally protect corridors; order security forces to remove illegal checkpoints (hotline for traders).

• Launch national seed fast-track + import approvals; kick off animal vaccination in two pilot states.

• Announce mining cadastre cleanup and freeze on ad-hoc levies; publish fee schedules for markets and borders.

6–12 months

• Rehabilitate 1,000–1,500 km of feeder roads (labor-intensive works).

• Install 200+ solar cold rooms/ice plants at fish landings & livestock markets.

• Commission 20 county processing hubs (mills, oil presses, shea units).

• Register 50 ASM cooperatives; deploy mercury-free gold processing pilots.

• Start school feeding with local staples in 10 counties.

12–24 months

• Stand up warehouse-receipt system in 4 market towns; link to bank credit.

• Open 3–4 small abattoirs; pilot chilled exports regionally.

• Cement/limestone feasibility + one plant to financial close.

• Launch national ag extension (radio + para-extensionists).

3–5 years

• Scale irrigation (50,000–80,000 ha smallholder).

• Full animal-health coverage; sustainable fishery management in major water bodies.

• Commodity exchange light platform; steady regional exports of grains, oilseeds, hides/skins, fish, and gold.

Measurable Targets (suggested)

• +25% yield in maize/sorghum within 3 seasons (via seed + post-harvest).

• 40% reduction in informal transport fees on priority corridors.

• 500,000 households accessing inputs via e-vouchers.

• Livestock vaccination coverage >70% in target diseases.

• 30% of artisanal gold output sold through formal channels within 24 months.

• Food import bill reduced by 20% in 3 years.

Governance & Partnerships

• Delivery unit under VP/PM with corridor leads; monthly “scorecards” published.

• Producers & private sector: farmer orgs, traders, processors, banks, telecoms.

• Development partners: align to corridors/hubs; results-based grants that crowd in private capital.

• Community oversight: radio townhalls; publish project lists & budgets on noticeboards.

Bottom line

Diversification is absolutely achievable if South Sudan protects trade corridors, formalizes what already works, and channels oil rents into many small but compounding productivity gains—especially post-harvest, animal health, and local processing. Start narrow, prove success, then replicate. If you want, I can turn this into a one-page roadmap or slide with timelines and KPIs for quick sharing.