The development of the future leadership in Sudan: investment in human capabilities, Ahmed Bannaga

Ahmed Bannaga
Legal Advisor and International Representative, Sudan

INTRODUCTION: Humans are the cornerstone and goal in any development. Many countries with large resources1 and income have not managed2 to develop their communities, while others have managed to create a better life and prosperity for their people with limited resources (Drucker, 1981)3. In Sudan, there were over 120,000 college students enrolled in 2015,4 and over 67,000 students graduated from colleges in 20115. Although Sudan has this number of graduates, the country is still struggling to offer its people a decent life or to compete in the regional economy. The valid fact stressed by this paper is the need for the development of human resources to tackle the country’s issues.
METHODOLOGY: This paper will use the 10 years of experience of the Physical Environmental Centre of Khartoum (PECK). PECK was started in 2007 in cooperation with the University of Nottingham to offer scholarships and support to local universities such as the University of Khartoum and Sudan University for Science and Technology. The programme was co-funded locally and internationally; it bene ted almost 80 students. All students graduated with Master’s degrees from four different universities in the UK. Of these students 35% later received PhD scholarships, while 42% achieved a distinction in their courses; there was an overall success rate of 97.2%6.
FINDINGS: This paper suggests an initiative to develop elite Sudanese graduates and offer them a road to academic excellence and employment paths with the support of the diaspora to change the status quo. It shall project the experience of 8 years in the Elite Scholarship Programme (ESP), and PECK’s 10 years of experience in supporting Sudanese students with statistics. It discusses a future path for the project to continue with a further step to qualify 2,000 graduates in ten years in all subjects. This would give them the necessary knowledge to build the capacity for the future leadership and a prosperous future for Sudan. The 2,000 targeted students could later be an integral part of the training of a further 200,0007 students who would be the cornerstone of Sudan’s leadership in the next 10-20 years.
PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The goal of the programme can only be reached with the support of Sudanese scholars, whether they are at home or abroad. The role of the scholars abroad is essential as we need their cooperation in supervision, advice and financial support. The first two roles are known and anticipated, but the third role means cooperation with the diaspora to create a scholarship programme in many world known institutions using their connections. This programme can be flexible to accommodate the variation of disciplines, institutions and the type of scholarship offered.
RESULTS: The paper will suggest a practical detailed plan to achieve the goal as stated above, and discuss the admissions requirements to assess the applicant’s eligibility in terms of academic success and leadership.
CONCLUSIONS: Only with this practical approach can Sudan tackle all issues raised by the deteriorating economy and create opportunities and jobs for its own people.
KEYWORDS: Sudan High Education, Scholarship Programme, Research Development, PECK.