South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"
By Awan Achiek
Several young men in Terekeka County of Central Equatoria State have started to learn the art of boat-building.
The 10-day training on canoe-building was undertaken by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (UN FAO).
Augustino Lado, a 18-year-old student said they have learnt how to build canoes from foam and fiberglass and the modern manufacturing techniques.
“We have been trained on how to make fiberglass. We have enjoyed the training. We are now able to make fiberglass like how to measure it and the type of material needed to make it,” Lado told The Dawn early this month in an interview.
Lado said with the skills gained, boats will be locally produced and maintained within the country.
“With this skills and knowledge I have acquired will enable me to set up my own place where I will be making my own boats and selling them and use the money to improve my wellbeing,” he said.
Traditional wooden canoes are currently used in South Sudan with a 3 to 4 year lifespan.They are made of Mahogany or teak trees which are heavy wood.
Adil Anoor, a 40-year-old trainer of trainees said they have been taught on how to interpret drawings, build layout from the plans into actual material, assemble the boats and finally undergo the finishing process.
“With knowledge we have learnt from training conducted by FAO, we are able to make boats locally and the government can no longer import boats from outside the country, we can make them here,” Annor said.
Anoor said the cost and time spent on making boats vary, depending on the size, type and number of materials.
“We are appealing to the government and FAO to set up a Technical vocational training center so that we would be able to train our young generation in boat making.”
He said canoes take two weeks to complete and can last up to 10 to 20 years.
“With training we acquired, we can now make any type and design of boat, and we were taught how to measure the boat,” Anoor said.
“We are now connected with other states like Lakes and Jonglei, who come to buy boats from Terekeka and this has improved our relationship as South Sudanese,” he added.
Nelson Peter, 25, said most of them with no formal education are content after acquiring boat making skills.
“I am not educated but I am able to master the practical part of boat making,” Peter said.
Government officials, FAO representatives, and youth pose for picture in Terekeka County on 4th July 2024 (Photo by Awan Achiek)
Emmanuel Modi, FAO Fisheries Officer said the young men are being trained by FAO under the Fisher Community Resilience- a five-year project which targets 16 trainees.
“We just use the epoxy to protect the boats. Now, when the materials come next month that is in July or October we will also invite everyone to come and take. So the number of the boat builders,” Modi said.
Modi disclosed that they contracted a consultant from Italy to train youth on how to handle the materials like the epoxy resins for the boats.
He said the youth impacted with canoe building technics will serve as trainers of trainers who will be training others on canoe manufacturing not only in Terekeka but elsewhere.
“They are doing boat building. So with their local knowledge, we only come to enrich, to capacitate their knowledge to be able to make advanced boats,” Modi said.
“Instead of procuring boats from outside, we wanted to find a way to produce it in Terekeka, so that all the local procurements will be within supply.”
Modi said trainers have completed the first level of training and will graduate after completing the second phase of the training in November this year.
Onyeti Adigo Nyikech, the National Minister for Livestock and Fisheries said his ministry will engage FAO to set up a technical vocational training center in Terekeka County to expand the art of boat building skills to future generations.
“The training is only one year, as they say it now, if there are facilities. One year is quite good, which is a nine-month education. So you can bring some people outside, and then they can be trained,” Adigo said.
“If you need to train more people, you take the most qualified people who can train people to other states. So that they train people there, in order to learn these things. And you’ll find that the knowledge is spread all over South Sudan,” he added.
