By Philip Buda Ladu
The Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology, Gabriel Changson Chang, has received approval from Council of Ministers to relocate the Ministry’s offices to a new building along the Juba-Yei Highway.
Minister Changson Chang’s demand for the relocation of the ministry is to pave the way for a World Bank offer to renovate the dilapidated building of the Ministry of Higher Education, which is on the outskirts of Juba Town after the Checkpoint.
As part of transforming and developing the ministry, Mr. Changson presented three memos to the cabinet in its regular meeting No. 15/2024 held on Friday, 25, October 2024, chaired by President Salva Kiir Mayardit.
Michael Makuei Lueth, the National Minister of Information and Government Spokesperson, briefed the media shortly after the Friday meeting.
He said the first two presentations focused on policies of the Ministry of Higher Education meant to strengthen, modify, guide, develop, and transform the higher education sector to become equitable, sustainable and competitive.
Meanwhile, the third item was the face-lifting of the institution structure through renovating the abandoned premises of the ministry.
“As for the third presentation, it was on the renovation of the Ministry of Higher Education; this was just an information to the cabinet because this building will be renovated by the World Bank,” Makuei told reporters on Friday.
The government’s spokesperson added that the World Bank has offered to renovate the building, stating that “as such, he (Minister Changson Chang) was only asking for security and electricity and a road to be extended to them there.”
Furthermore, he said because the Ministry of Higher Education’s building is after the checkpoint on Yei Road, Mr. Changson requested the cabinet that the checkpoint be moved from there ahead of that building.
“These requests were approved, and the ministers concerned were directed to act accordingly,” Makuei added.
In September 202, the World Bank Group Executive Board of Directors approved International Development Association* (IDA) grant financing to the Government of the Republic of South Sudan to support strengthening of institutional and human resource capabilities in the public service to better deliver basic needs and services to citizens.
The IDA grant of $15 million will join Government counterpart funding of $3 million, bringing the total project amount to $18 million.
The grant will finance the Building Institutional Foundations for an Effective Public Service Project (BIFEPS), which will play a key role in improving state capacity over the long term.
Over a three-year period, the project aims to strengthen policies, procedures, and systems for civil service management; support institutional development to create sustainable public sector capacity; and incentivize the effective implementation of selected sector reforms.