By Samuel Ouma
Atak Santino Majak, Vice President of Dar Petroleum Operating Company (DPOC), is a seasoned public service and business executive whose career spans senior government service and strategic leadership in South Sudan’s most important industry. He previously served as Executive Director to the Minister of Presidential Affairs, Manager for Logistics and Procurement at Nile Logistic Company, one of Nilepet’s subsidiaries, Manager of HR and Administration at Sipet Engineering and Consultancy Services, and Manager of Finance and Procurement at Sipet Engineering and Consultancy Services.
He also served in high-level positions, including Private Secretary and Personal Assistant to President Salva Kiir Mayardit, and as Undersecretary in the Ministry of Defense and Veteran Affairs.
Today, he serves in a senior leadership role at DPOC, the country’s largest oil consortium, where he is championing reforms to improve efficiency, expand national capacity, and strengthen the sector’s long-term contribution to development.
Dar Petroleum Operating Company Ltd. (DPOC) is one of South Sudan’s largest oil exploration and production consortia, managing the resource-rich Blocks 3 and 7 in the Melut Basin from its headquarters in Juba. The consortium is central to South Sudan’s energy sector and national finances, with government officials indicating that these blocks account for the majority of the country’s crude output and targeting a ramp-up to about 120,000 barrels per day following the resumption of production in 2025.
Beyond oil production, DPOC has also positioned itself as a development partner in host communities.
The company regularly donates medicines, bed sheets, beds, blankets, uniforms, and other essential supplies to Melut County Hospital. It has also committed to expanding the Melut Water Treatment Plant from 40 percent to full operational capacity, a step intended to ensure broader access to clean water for the community before the end of 2027. These initiatives reinforce the view that responsible energy investment should deliver tangible benefits to residents, not only export revenues.
As Vice President of DPOC, Majak says his priorities include increasing oil production, improving operational efficiency, building the capacity of South Sudanese workers, enforcing local content laws, empowering domestic companies, and respecting the rights of host communities through meaningful development projects. He argues that stronger local participation and better operational performance must go hand in hand if the oil sector is to become a true engine of national recovery.
A 20 percent increase in DPOC production would carry significance well beyond the oil fields. Because oil provides more than 90 percent of South Sudan’s government revenue and a major share of export earnings, higher output from Blocks 3 and 7 could help restore public finances, stabilize foreign exchange inflows, and support broader economic recovery.
With South Sudan’s economy projected to rebound if oil exports continue to recover, stronger DPOC performance could help the government fund salaries, essential services, and infrastructure while also improving investor confidence in the country’s most critical sector. In that sense, raising production is not only an energy objective; it is a national economic priority tied directly to the revival of South Sudan’s economy.
