South Sudan to deploy 200 highly qualified civil servants from foreign countries

The autonomous Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS) has resolved to identify and select up to 200 highly qualified civil servants from the neighboring countries in Africa for a rapid intervention to support the civil service institutions in the region.

The program entitled ‘Regional Initiative for Capacity Enhancement with IGAD Partners' is an initiative by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) as part of the UN's initiative to support what it calls "fragile" countries in Africa.

In a cabinet meeting on Friday chaired by President Salva Kiir Mayardit, the memo on IGAD rapid capacity placement for Southern Sudan was presented to the Council of Ministers by the Vice President, Riek Machar, on behalf of the Minister of Labour and Public Service, Awut Deng Acuil.

In a press statement, the Acting Minister of Information and Minister of Telecommunications and Postal Service, Madut Biar Yel, said the purpose of the project is to enable GoSS to rapidly identify and deploy highly qualified and competent civil servants from the region to deliver essential public services at the level of GoSS and states. This is with the ultimate goal to, "strengthen governance infrastructure in order for it to deliver essential public service, community security and rule of law."

Three IGAD countries which include Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia were initially identified as the regional states from which such highly qualified civil servants or retired civil servants can be selected and deployed in various institutions in the semi-autonomous government.

As southern Sudan is left with only five months to decide whether to confirm the current unity of Sudan or establish its own independent country, research recently carried out by the public service ministry has alarmingly indicated that up to 60% of the current civil servants in the government are unclassified staff, while the classified staff constitutes only 40%; most of whom are inexperienced.

Officials say highly qualified civil servants from the IGAD countries will bring a wealth of experience that will provide southern Sudan with an invaluable opportunity for mentoring and coaching.

UNDP will cover the salaries and any administrative cost of the program, while GoSS will address key capacity gaps and areas of need.

The cabinet also directed all the ministries and government institutions to identify their areas of need for consideration in the project. These will include, among others, medical doctors, university professors or lecturers, economists, accountants, legal experts, etc.

If successfully implemented, Southern Sudan will be among a number of African countries with weak civil service that the United Nations has supported through providing them with highly qualified civil servants from foreign countries.

Botswana has received up to 10,000 civil servants from other countries in a similar project. Kenya had a foreigner from Ghana as the country's Chief Justice until early 1990s.

Source: http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article35955