NMMU BUSINESS SCHOOL HOLDS KEY TO LEADERS AND FUTURE SUCCESS OF SOUTH SUDAN
South Sudan’s Senior Government Officials in Nelson Mandela Bay for Leadership Training
Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, 22 April 2010 – In March 2010, several high-ranking officials from the Government of South Sudan began a two-month training developed by the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) Business School Leadership Academy. The aim of the programme is to prepare senior government officials for their future leadership roles.
Sudan recently conducted presidential and legislative elections, set up under a 2005 peace accord that also promised the south a referendum in 2011 on whether to split off as an independent country.
Government officials that rule South Sudan's semi-autonomous government appointed after the peace deal are receiving holistic leadership training between March and May in Port Elizabeth through a uniquely designed programme.
Developed by the NMMU Business School’s Leadership Academy, several other NMMU faculties and other South African experts, the South Sudan Executive Leadership Programme (SSELP) focuses on strategic policy studies, security, leadership, development, international relations, conflict management and international law.
The programme, planned to run until 2015, links the majority of modules to topics related to strategic policy studies and security as these topics are the key given the current and future national and regional situation and politics in and around Sudan and South Sudan.
“As the future of South Sudan depends on having competent leaders on all levels, this program will play an important role in developing high-ranking senior South Sudanese government officials to contribute to post-war development, reconstruction, security, and formulating and managing long-term strategic policies,” says Leon Mouton, deputy director of the NMMU Business School Leadership Academy.
“After decades of war and economic, social and political marginalization, South Sudan is starting from scratch in every sense of the term. Extensive capacity building, along with economic and infrastructure development, delivery of basic services, and security, is key if South Sudan is to become prosperous, either as part of Sudan or as an independent country. It can be argued that all the above will largely depend on having qualified and competent leadership on the local, regional and the Government of South Sudan levels.”
Professor Piet Naude, director of the NMMU Business School says he is extremely proud of the Leadership Academy’s role “as instrument that will contribute to shaping the future and political, social and economic restoration of an African country left in ruines after one of the bloodiest civil wars on the continent which claimed the lives of 2 million people over two decades.”
“For us, the SSELP program for the South Sudan government is a historic and monumental achievement on a South African education front. Our product, service and faculty will have a direct legacy to the future success of South Sudan and around
8 million people.”
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