The Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia on Tuesday granted undergraduate scholarships to 120 South Sudanese students to study in seven different higher institutions of learning in Ethiopia.

Speaking during a farewell party for the students joining various Ethiopian universities, the Ethiopian Ambassador to South Sudan, Nebil Mahdi Abdullahi, said the scholarships are part of an agreement signed in November 2022 between the two countries.

“This program is meant for those undergraduate students that are going to seven different universities and next year we will have postgraduate, technical, and vocational training and PhD programs,” he explained. “Our embassy is working jointly with the South Sudan Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology and I wish all the students a very successful stay in Ethiopia.”

Last week, the Ethiopian government offered scholarships to 30 South Sudanese medical doctors to study in seven different higher institutions of learning.

The doctors will specialize in pediatrics and child health, general surgery, internal medicine, ophthalmology, obstetrics and gynecology, and pediatric surgery.

For his part, Dr. Adil Athanasio, the undersecretary at the Ministry of Higher Education, hailed the Ethiopian Embassy for its support towards human resource development in the country.

“We are very happy because the number is big and we are very happy because for the last three to four years, they have been performing well. We are not having much difficulty with them and they will go and focus on their education,” he stated. “Our being here today, including one of the representatives of alumni, is to give the students more information and advice as they are our ambassadors. They are going to be our ambassadors in a neighboring country that supported us historically during the liberation and now during development.”

On 22 November, Ethiopia increased the number of scholarships for South Sudanese students from 160 to 210. This development came following the visit of the Minister of Education of Ethiopia to South Sudan where the two countries signed an education cooperation agreement.

Previously, Ethiopia provided 100 scholarships for both postgraduate and undergraduate and 60 for Technical Education and Vocational Training (TVET).

Under the new deal, the number of undergraduate and post-graduate scholarships for South Sudanese was increased to 150 and maintained at 60 for Technical Education and Vocational Training (TVET).