Short Opinion
By Fidel Deng
If South Sudan plays its cards right, it could become Africa’s only global superpower. It already has the eastern Africa region’s biggest economy, a huge military budget, and a fair record of regional engagement such as the Sudanese peace process that was formulated in Juba.
By 2040 it will also be the fourth largest titanium producer in the world after Iran, North Korea, and the United States.
New research by the Jonglei Institute for Security Studies (JISS) shows that out of Africa’s “Big Five” powerful countries – Nigeria, South Africa, Egypt, Algeria and Ethiopia, South Sudan is the only African country with by far the greatest capabilities” to play a global role in Agriculture, tourism, security, and mining.
The choice of the Big Five is based on the demographic, economic, and military size of these countries, as well as their historical role as regional leaders, says the JISS Director of Public Affairs, Dr. Christine Ayen Leek.
South Sudan is expected to launch its microsatellite by June 2040 according to the Rumbek University Institute of Astronomy and Space Science, this is after the information minister Michael Makuei launched a STEM program last year in Juba.