South Sudan has a bounty of natural resources. However, this young nation has yet to harness its unlimited potential to benefit all communities.
Peacekeepers deployed to Wau with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), therefore, held an awareness-raising session with students at the University of Bahr el Ghazal on applied sciences and research methodologies to utilize available resources to benefit communities and generate local production of necessary items.
“Our objective in organizing this session with university students is to guide them in understanding that everything around them is capital that can be tapped intelligently to uplift the lives of communities,” said Lieutenant Colonel Altab Hossain to participants attending the lecture.
“Your country is filled with fertile farmlands, livestock—this can create a wealth of income-generating opportunities for young graduates, such as all of you. However, you must be aware of technologies and innovations that exist to help you become entrepreneurs in your own right,” he added.
Our objective in organizing this session with university students is to guide them in understanding that everything around them is capital that can be tapped intelligently
The lecture included agricultural practices that are rooted in tried and tested science. Students were enthusiastic and said they found the event helpful.
“These UNMISS peacekeepers have opened my eyes to all the possibilities that our country holds,” said 27-year-old Edward Lino, a final-year student of natural resources.
“We, as young people, must do more to ensure we make use of what nature has given us to not only benefit ourselves and our families but also entire communities, as a whole. If we embrace peace we are capable of manufacturing many things on our own instead of importing basic commodities from neighbouring countries,” he added passionately.
Edward’s fellow student, Agol Mabior, has already come up with sustainable ideas on developing natural resources, following the session.
“I think I know what my first project is. I will devise a way to use the fruit from all the mango trees in our university campus to produce fresh juice without any additives,” he stated.
Bangladeshi peacekeepers also restocked the university library with new textbooks to help students learn more on utilizing naturally occurring resources for the benefit of many.
