South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"
By Awan Achiek
The four-day workshop organized by the Greater Pioneer Operating Company (GPOC) concluded in Juba on Saturday, resulting in the adoption of eight key resolutions.
These resolutions address various issues, including health, education, environmental sustainability, agriculture, land management, employment, corporate affairs, and policy development.
The workshop brought together 60 participants from the Ruweng Administrative Area and Unity State, including ministers, MPs, youth leaders, student representatives, women representatives, chiefs, and community leaders.
Its aim was to enhance the capacity of key stakeholders involved in oil and gas operations from oil-producing regions.
Speaking during the closing of the workshop in Juba on Saturday, Beny Ngor Chol, Vice President of GPOC, emphasized the importance of aligning their limited resources with the community’s needs.
“Understand that the expectation is high, but we must match the resources we have with those needs,” Ngor
stated. “I believe we can collaborate with relevant states in education, health, water, physical infrastructure, and ensure that the resources we have at GPOC are properly aligned with your needs.”
Ngor urged stakeholders to educate their communities to maintain a safe distance of at least 14 kilometers from oil areas.
Simon Chol Martin, Acting Director General for Planning, Training, and Research at the Ministry of Petroleum, encouraged communities to identify and articulate their challenges for effective resolution.
“You need to identify your challenges and prioritize them within your department, such as in the Ministry of Education in Unity. For example, you might say, ‘This year, my priority is training teachers,’” Chol advised.
Meanwhile, Victoria Bol, Acting Director for Community Development, pledged to collaborate with partners to increase the education budget for people from oil-producing areas to enhance educational opportunities.
“The budget for education must be increased because we are educating individuals who will become responsible members of society,” Bol asserted.
Philip Mamun Chap, Manager of Community Development and Corporate Affairs at GPOC, stated that the resolutions would serve as a roadmap for stakeholders in Unity State, the Ruweng Administrative Area, the Ministry of Petroleum, and GPOC.
“Your document should be presented to the decision-making authority, and management will make decisions based on the policy guidelines, whether from GPOC or the Ministry of Petroleum. What is agreed upon will be communicated back to you,” Mamun explained.
Aduol Bol Agany, a representative of the participants, praised GPOC for providing valuable knowledge, describing the workshop as an “eye-opener.”
“All that we have learned here over these four days should not remain in this hall; we must translate it into action so that our people can benefit from the knowledge gained in this workshop,” Bol concluded.
