Fact-check: Investment Ministry denies funding businesses from an alleged $350 million donation 

According to the Ministry of Investment, the page where the call for applications was published was a forgery and not its official Facebook account. It requests that the public refrain from following it and dealing with the news published on it.

Writer: Ghai Aketch 

Claims that the Ministry of Investment is funding businesses on behalf of the South Sudan government after receiving a $350 million USD donation from the International Monetary Fund, International Fund for Agricultural Development, and USAID are false.

On October 4, 2022, a Facebook page bearing the official logo of the Republic of South Sudan Ministry of Investment and images of Investment Minister Hon.Dr. Dhieu Mathok Diing was created, but on October 5, a sponsored post called for applications for funding. To boost trade, the applicants were to receive a “development share of $350 million.”

“The Ministry of Commerce, Trade, and Investment have received a grant donation of $350M in collaboration with the International Monetary Fund, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Global Entrepreneurship Network.” The statement partly reads on the Facebook page. 

Screenshot of false post doing the rounds

But the application procedure directs people to a Google form to input personal information; name, email, mobile phone number,  physical address, and description of project for funding.

Additionally, on October 5, another page disguised to be the investment minister’s was created but with misspelt name, Dr. Dhieu  MADHOK instead of MATHOK. It also started sharing the same funding scheme and official images of the minister as well as the ministry’s activities.

Shortly after getting notified by 211 Check, the Investment Ministry published a position statement denying ownership of the viral post.

“A person created a fake page in the name of the Ministry of Investment on October 4, 2022 AD and published that the Ministry of Investment had received a grant of 350 million US dollars in cooperation with the International Monetary Fund and the International Fund for Agricultural Development . . (IFAD), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Global Entrepreneurship Network,” the statement reads in part.

The ministry also urged the public against falling victims of the fake Facebook page purporting Dr. Dhieu Mathok , adding that the minister doesn’t own a Facebook page.

“…we assure the followers of this fake page in the name of Dr. Dhieu Mathok that the Minister of Investment does not have an account on Facebook.”

Screenshot of false post doing the rounds

Earlier when 211 Check  contacted the Republic of South Sudan Ministry of Investment the information caught the administrators in surprise, about the trending call for alleged financial funding. 

The office manager in the minister’s office, Mr. Alfred Sokiri  wondered and told 211 Check that he was in New York, US in September together with the minister but there was no such donation by the mentioned organisations. 

He also added that it’s not on the ministry’s official Facebook page as well as no trace of physical files indicating that in the office. 

Moreover, after consulting with the minister, the Press Secretary in the Office of the Minister, Mr. Akol Angok,  told 211 Check that the circulating  information is fake. 

“Someone is attacking the Ministry of Investment. I talked to the minister and other officials but no information about the said $350 million US dollars.” Akol said. He stressed that the administration is contemplating on suing those meddling in that disinformation. 

In addition to that, the official Ministry of Investment Facebook page has not published that information. This confirms that the account disseminating the information is a fake account intended to scam unsuspecting citizens. 

More importantly, the photo accompanying the information is that of the Vice President for Service Cluster, Hussein Abdelbagi Akol and the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres during the United Nations General Assembly in the US published September 20, 2022 on twitter

Conclusion:

The Republic of South Sudan’s Ministry of Investment has not received any donation from the International Monetary Fund, International Fund for Agricultural Development and USAID to fund business. The Facebook page advertising the business grant is inauthentic.