Drilled in China, Nyuon delivers beyond expectations

As the secretary-general of the state government of Jonglei in South Sudan, Nyuon attained a doctorate in national development from the Institute of South-South Cooperation and Development (ISSCAD) established by the Chinese government. The 36-year-old senior governmental management staff member is responsible for the staff welfare of the state government, and serves as a bridge between the government and its service objects.

While being interviewed by South Sudan's newspaper The DAWN, Nyuon said that studying economics is crucial for his job. The daily work of a secretary-general in a state government requires superior management capabilities and rich experience in personnel allocation. As the head of staff in the state, he was responsible for 14,000 civil servants. His specialty made sure that he respects and cares for them, regardless of their social backgrounds, economic status or religious beliefs.

Nyuon has a bachelor's and master's degree, as well as a doctorate from a Chinese higher education institute. It wasn't easy to get the doctorate, he said. Sometimes he only slept one or two hours a day, not because he doesn't like sleeping, but he needed the time to study, so he could make progress. Chinese people are very diligent, he said. Communicating with them also gave him inspiration to work hard. His experiences during the doctorate gave him the confidence to take his present post, which is a challenging job, he added.

In Nyuon's eyes, China, as a developing country, is a role model for all the other developing countries in terms of scientific and technological development. International students get to learn together with Chinese students so they can progress together. He likes this learning model as it is conducive to gaining real and useful experience, he explained.

Apart from his governmental job, Nyuon also established a non-governmental organization, which aims to help local youth work hard and get out of poverty.

Nyuon is deeply grateful for the Chinese government's long-term support to South Sudan, saying that his country is still in need of support and assistance at the grassroots level. He said he hopes that South Sudan will become a country with real peace and freedom, a country with a stable economy to attract a large amount of investors so as to maintain its permanent peace and stability.