SaaKam 🇸🇸 🌍

One day in early January 2008, I walked into the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning in Juba. I had an application letter and a letter of recommendation from my University confirming that I was on a mandatory industrial internship before I could go to 4th year. I knew no one at the Ministry, and so after asking around about whom to talk to about my request I was led to the office of Hon. Aggrey Tisa Sabuni who was the Undersecretary. His office was at the Prefabricated complex adjacent to the main ministry building which was under renovation at the time. He received me warmly and after some introduction, I took out the papers from the envelope and handed him my application. He took his time to study the application and the letter of recommendation from the Kenyan University I was studying in. He told me that it was the first time a matter like that was brought to the ministry although he told me that a year earlier there was a group of students from a college in Arua who had applied for the internship, but somehow different from my case. He sent me to the department of Accounts (relevant to my course) and I was handed to a foreign lady consultant who was in charge of the Government Management Information System (Free Balance). I was immediately assigned duties and a desk. Hon. Sabuni recommended that I be given some allowances at the end of the month, SDG 500 (quite an amount that time.) At the end of my internship, I went back to him to thank him and informed him that I would be going back to Kenya early May to resume my studies. He gave me some words of encouragement and told me to come back to the Ministry after my studies. He approved some money for my air ticket and some additional allowance on top of my monthly stipend. I will forever be indebted to him. Today, I wonder if a student seeking internship can even get access to the Ministry of Finance and Planning leave alone being given a chance without someone pulling some ropes. That experience influenced my perspective about the importance of giving students a chance to intern in institutions which can give them a headstart in their future careers and the importance of giving them some stipends. If you have access to the Hon. Aggrey Tisa, tell him I am forever grateful. He made me realize my high school dream. Of course later I came back to the Ministry when he was the Minister, under a different arrangement. Some government officials are professionals and love this country and want a better future for the younger generation. God bless South Sudan. 📸 Courtesy

This is wild….. “he’s too African (looking)” as a Kenyan/Ghanian? Who raised you????