From South Sudan's rural areas to its urban centers, radio serves as a vital lifeline, connecting communities and empowering individuals.
In Malakal, the capital of Upper Nile State, residents say radio has contributed significantly to peace building efforts in the region.
"What I have gained through listening to the radio, I gained more knowledge at the level of the world, at the level of our country, at the level of this state even," said Michael Lem Monyjok, a longtime radio listener and resident of Upper Nile State.
Radio programs played a crucial role during southern Sudan's independence referendum by providing essential information on voting procedures, he added.
Peter Wien Deng, another listener, echoed Monyjok's sentiments.
Wien said radio helped people during the COVID-19 pandemic by educating listeners on preventative measures against the virus and other disease.
"Radio is very important indeed, to give you accurate information across the country or across the world," he said.
While others noted the important role that radio plays in keeping South Sudanese informed, Augustino Illario, the chairperson of the South Sudan Union of Persons with Disabilities, said authorities should ensure that the poor and the disabled have easy access to the medium.
Radio is "a very important tool for getting information on a daily basis particularly for people with disabilities," Illario said.
Findings released in 2023 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, UNESCO, showed that 83 percent of South Sudanese receive their news on radio.
Only 4 percent regularly accessed information online, UNESCO added.
"Radio can reach far and wide, especially the grass roots and simple people on ground," said Rebecca Okwaci, a government chief whip in South Sudan's parliament.
She called on "people outside" to help impoverished communities better access news, entertainment and information by buying "them a radio and some batteries."
"Encourage them to listen to it because it's very important to our lives," Okwaci said.
In an interview with VOA, Robert Pitya, the chairperson for the chamber of commerce in Central Equatoria State, said traders in the nation use radio to improve their business.
"Most of our traders don't read newspapers but they listen to radio. Ninety-nine percent of them get our information through radios," Pitya said.
The United States Agency for International Development, USAID, says over 70 percent of South Sudan's adult population is illiterate and relies on radio for information.
In response to the findings, the U.S. agency is using the 2024 World Radio Day commemorations to distribute radios across 13 of the least developed counties in South Sudan.
"These radios are the only means by which many citizens receive reliable news and information," read an online statement released by DT Global, a radio program that can be listened to through the radios USAID distributed.