Analysis & Opinions - The Guardian

Southern Sudan Has Many Lessons to Learn from Juba University

| July 5, 2011

PovertyMatters Blog

As it prepares for independence, south Sudan should look to the university to help lay down the foundations of a new state

"On 9 July south Sudan will emerge as Africa's youngest state. Considerable effort is going into searching for how the country can ramp up its human capacity for economic transformation. Juba University might just provide an answer.

Critics of the role of universities in economic transformation argue that higher education takes too long to show results and that its focus is usually too academic. However, the evidence suggests that practically oriented universities offer the fastest and most durable ways to incubate new states. With the right vision, universities can confer their attributes to a new state.

A good example of this is the creation of Israel. For more than two decades before the state was created, Technion (Israel Institute of Technology) helped to lay the foundations of the modern state of Israel. The identity of the country as a player in the field of science and technology can be traced to the vision of Technion...."

Continue reading: http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/poverty-matters/2011/jul/05/juba-university-lessons-for-southern-sudan?CMP=twt_gu

For more information on this publication: Belfer Communications Office
For Academic Citation: Juma, Calestous.“Southern Sudan Has Many Lessons to Learn from Juba University.” The Guardian, July 5, 2011.

The Author

Calestous Juma