Vice President Josephine Lagu Yanga addresses graduates at the 27th University of Juba graduation ceremony. Photo credit: Office of the President/Facebook.

Vice President Josephine Lagu Yanga has called on newly graduated students of the University of Juba to use their skills to contribute to nation building.

Vice President Josephine was speaking yesterday during the 27th graduation ceremony at the university.

More than 2800 students from various colleges graduated with bachelor’s degrees, diplomas, master’s degrees, postgraduate diplomas, and PhDs on Saturday.

Vice President Josephine, who represented President Salva Kiir, the chancellor of the university, said the country is in urgent need of skilled doctors, lawyers, engineers, teachers, and other professionals.

“You have worked hard and finally achieved your goals. I’m proud of you all. Education is the foundation of development. To build our great nation, we need doctors, we need lawyers, we need engineers, we need scientists, teachers, and we need other professionals,” she said.

“This is not possible without good education. The future of South Sudan belongs to you all. I’m encouraging you to continue learning and developing yourselves.”

The ceremony was also attended by top government officials, including the Minister of Higher Education Madut Biar Yel and Senior Presidential Advisor Kuol Manyang Juuk, among others.

Founded in 1975, the University of Juba is one of South Sudan’s leading higher learning institutions and one of the five public universities in the country.

According to its website, the university has about 40,000 students enrolled across 23 Schools, 3 Colleges, 4 Institutes, and 7 specialized centres.