Attachments
Introduction
Cash is increasingly considered as a delivery modality in the South Sudan response, driving a growing need for humanitarian organisations and decision-makers to understand local market dynamics. In Raja County, dependency upon markets for basic needs, such as cereals, is reportedly high, but there are few marketplaces which can stock basic goods in quantities sufficient to carry all local households (see Map 1). Despite the importance of markets for communities in Raja County, little is known about market structures, supply routes, and the impact of shocks on the availability and accessibility of food and basic needs at local markets.
To fill this information gap and support the humanitarian response in Raja County, REACH carried out a rapid market assessment in Raja and Wau Counties, which consisted of 3 focus group discussion (FGDs) with trade unions, 5 FGDs with households, additional semi-structured key informant interviews with traders (5), local authorities (1) and humanitarian partners (1), as well as direct observation. Directly assessed marketplaces include Raja town Market, Deim Zubeir Market and several satellite marketplaces in surrounding areas (see map 1). These locations were chosen because of their importance to the overall market system in the region, geographical proximity to the primary trade routes within Raja County, and to adequately represent various sub-systems that exist within the region. Primary data collection took place from 7 December 2020 to 17 December 2020. Due to the purposive sampling and qualitative methodology, findings should be considered indicative, rather than representative, of the situation in assessed markets and communities in Raja County. For more information on Rapid Market Assessments, refer to the terms of reference (ToR).