Political stability and peace are crucial for the world's youngest country after years of struggle to build up state institutions and end tribal violence, South Sudan’s ambassador in Abu Dhabi said.
In an interview with The National, Deng Deng Nhial said corruption was also one of the biggest obstacles to the development of a country rich in natural resources, which should be spent properly on infrastructure and basic services.
Mr Nhial, in office since 2016, said his country regarded the UAE as a role model for economic and technological success.
We will learn a lot from the UAE and build on the agreements President Salva Kiir Mayardit signed during his visit to Abu Dhabi in 2019
“The UAE’s achievements in infrastructure, basic services, trade, tourism and technology are top-notch," Mr Nhial said.
"We will learn a lot from the UAE and build on the agreements President Salva Kiir Mayardit signed during his visit to Abu Dhabi in 2019.”
On that visit, Mr Kiir signed deals on investment, avoiding double taxation and visa waivers for UAE citizens.
After two decades of war, South Sudan gained its independence from Sudan on July 9, 2011, after a landslide referendum result.
But peace was short-lived.
Since then, South Sudan has been torn apart by a civil war which began in 2013 after Mr Kiir sacked vice president Riek Machar.
The men belong to the influential Dinka and Nuer ethnic tribes, respectively.
They signed a peace accord in 2018 and formed a government of national unity in February 2020, ending a war that is estimated to have killed more than 400,000 people.
The conflict uprooted a quarter of South Sudan’s population of 12 million people, ruined its agriculture and battered the oil-based economy.
Despite the peace deal, the UN says violence is still raging in parts of the country.
“Political stability is first and foremost," Mr Nhial said. "We have relative peace now.
"As stipulated in the 2018 agreement we have to establish state parliaments and governments, cantonments for a big unified army.
"This is a vast country that has 64 tribes."
Obstacles to economic growth
Mr Nhial, who was born during a civil war in 1961, said three things were needed to attract foreign investors to a stable South Sudan and gain their trust.
“We need to have a good infrastructure, good education and a digital economy to fight corruption," he said.
"We have a 2030 vision that will see free-trade zones, a new capital city in Ramciel, which means let’s meet in the middle thanks to its strategic, central position and the nature of its flat land."
"We need to have good infrastructure, good education and a digital economy to fight corruption. We have a 2030 vision that will see free trade zones, a new capital city in Ramciel. Ambassador Deng Deng Nhial
The dilapidated infrastructure, mainly as a result of decades of war, has been identified as the biggest hindrance to economic growth in the land-locked country.
South Sudan will need more than $10 billion to build and upgrade about 10,000 kilometres of roads, the Ministry of Transport said.
The African Development Bank estimates there are about 35 metres of paved road for every 1,000 residents, compared with an average of 128 metres in cities in the Sub-Sahara region and 700 metres in the low-income countries of the developing world.
Mr Nhial said that effective management and development of the country’s vast resources was vital to achieve sustained growth as the economy has been badly hit by war, hyperinflation and Covid-19.
He said South Sudan wanted to diversify its revenue by adopting a mechanised agriculture economy, because most of the population depended on farming for their livelihood.
“We can grow any plant in South Sudan as 96 per cent of the land is arable, we have the mineral resources and the water," Mr Nhial said.
"We have the oil and 22 minerals, including gold. Mining is big in South Sudan.
“We also have an impressive wildlife of 13 reserves and eight national parks, which will become a key national income revenue from tourism.
"We will build hotels, golf courses and restaurants. We are very ambitious.”
Oil revenue from the production of about 500,000 barrels a day account for 98 per cent of state revenue.
Since independence, Juba has contracted oil sales worth $2.14bn, the latest statistics last year by the International Monetary Fund show.
The local currency has plunged since the outbreak of the 2013 civil war.
The South Sudanese pound has depreciated to 176 to the US dollar, compared with 2.92 to eight years ago.
The severe depreciation increased inflation to an estimated 31.1 per cent in 2020.
Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites
The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.
It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.
“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.
The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
UAE%20athletes%20heading%20to%20Paris%202024
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IPL 2018 FINAL
Sunrisers Hyderabad 178-6 (20 ovs)
Chennai Super Kings 181-2 (18.3 ovs)
Chennai win by eight wickets
T20 World Cup Qualifier fixtures
Tuesday, October 29
Qualifier one, 2.10pm – Netherlands v UAE
Qualifier two, 7.30pm – Namibia v Oman
Wednesday, October 30
Qualifier three, 2.10pm – Scotland v loser of qualifier one
Qualifier four, 7.30pm – Hong Kong v loser of qualifier two
Thursday, October 31
Fifth-place playoff, 2.10pm – winner of qualifier three v winner of qualifier four
Friday, November 1
Semi-final one, 2.10pm – Ireland v winner of qualifier one
Semi-final two, 7.30pm – PNG v winner of qualifier two
Saturday, November 2
Third-place playoff, 2.10pm
Final, 7.30pm
The specs: 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor
Price, base / as tested Dh220,000 / Dh320,000
Engine 3.5L V6
Transmission 10-speed automatic
Power 421hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 678Nm @ 3,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 14.1L / 100km
Lewis Hamilton in 2018
Australia 2nd; Bahrain 3rd; China 4th; Azerbaijan 1st; Spain 1st; Monaco 3rd; Canada 5th; France 1st; Austria DNF; Britain 2nd; Germany 1st; Hungary 1st; Belgium 2nd; Italy 1st; Singapore 1st; Russia 1st; Japan 1st; United States 3rd; Mexico 4th
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
More on Quran memorisation:
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
UAE players with central contracts
Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Adnan Mufti, Mohammed Usman, Ghulam Shabbir, Ahmed Raza, Qadeer Ahmed, Amir Hayat, Mohammed Naveed and Imran Haider.
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
French business
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
MATCH INFO
Southampton 0
Manchester City 1 (Sterling 16')
Man of the match: Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City)
Company%20profile
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
