Betty Achan Ogwaro is a South Sudanese politician in the government of

South Sudan South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the C ...

. Betty Achan Ogwaro was the former and the first minister of Agriculture and Forestry in the Republic of South Sudan

Education

Ogwaro holds a bachelor's degree in

animal science Animal science is described as "studying the biology of animals that are under the control of humankind". It can also be described as the production and management of farm animals. Historically, the degree was called animal husbandry and the ...

with honors from the

University of Juba The University of Juba ( ar, جامعة جوبا) is an English-language public university located in Juba, South Sudan. It was founded in 1975 under by the former Vice president of and President of Southern Sudan, Abel Alier Kwai. The univers ...

. She also earned a master's degree in

veterinary science Veterinary medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with the prevention, management, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, disorder, and injury in animals. Along with this, it deals with animal rearing, husbandry, breeding, research on nutri ...

from the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

. She has also worked towards degree in a

microbiology Microbiology () is the scientific study of microorganisms, those being unicellular (single cell), multicellular (cell colony), or acellular (lacking cells). Microbiology encompasses numerous sub-disciplines including virology, bacteriology, prot ...

at the

University of Wolverhampton The University of Wolverhampton is a public university located on four campuses across the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, Shropshire and Staffordshire in England. The roots of the university lie in the Wolverhampton Tradesmen's and Mech ...

, in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

Career

Betty Ogwaro served as Director of Animal Production for the Government of Southern Sudan until 1995 when she went into exile in the

. She was the chairperson for the Sudanese People Liberation Movement (SPLM) chapter office in the Midlands from 1999 to 2005, and is one of the women leaders who successfully negotiated the inclusion of 25% minimum women representation at all levels of governance as part of the

Comprehensive Peace Agreement The Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA, ar, اتفاقية السلام الشامل, Ittifāqiyyah al-salām al-šāmil), also known as the Naivasha Agreement, was an accord signed on January 9, 2005, by the Sudan People's Liberation Moveme ...

. Ogwaro is a founder of "Windows for Sudan", an

NGO A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

which seeks to promote the participation of Sudanese women in development and elevate their status in society. She has also consulted for UNIFEM on women's issues. is a member of the mediation team negotiating peace settlement between the

Lord's Resistance Army The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), also known as the Lord's Resistance Movement, is a rebel group and heterodox Christian group which operates in northern Uganda, South Sudan, the Central African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of the Co ...

(LRA) and the government of

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...

, and the first Sudanese woman to challenge

Joseph Kony Joseph Rao Kony (likely born 1961) is a Ugandan militant who founded the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), a Christian fundamentalist organization, designated as a terrorist group by the United Nations Peacekeepers, the European Union and various ...

, the LRA's top leader, face-to-face for the group's atrocities in the Sudan and their lack of commitment to the peace process. In 2007, Ogwaro served as president of the Southern Sudanese Women's Parliamentarian League, which advances the participation of Sudanese women leaders in politics and decision making. She was also the chair of the Southern Sudanese Women Caucus, where influential women's organizations work to respond to the needs of Sudanese communities. She was a member of several committees, including specialized committee for Gender, Social Welfare, Youth and Sports. She combines her parliamentarian work with promoting women in agriculture. In 2007

Salva Kiir Mayardit Salva Kiir Mayardit (born 13 September 1951), also known as Salva Kiir, is a South Sudanese politician who has been the President of South Sudan since its independence on 9 July 2011. Prior to independence, he was the President of the Governmen ...

appointed her State Minister for Agriculture, Animal Resources, Forestry, Cooperative and Rural Development in

Eastern Equatoria State Eastern Equatoria is a state in South Sudan. It has an area of 73,472 km². The capital is Torit. On October 1, 1972, the state was divided into Imatong and Namorunyang states and was re-established by a peace agreement signed on 22 Februa ...

. progressing to become the Government of The Republic of South Sudan National Minister for Agriculture and Forestry in 2011., ''Government of The Republic of South Sudan'', 6 December 2011

References

External links

huntalternatives.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ogwaro, Betty Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Acholi people Lord's Resistance Army African women in war Women in 21st-century warfare Sudan People's Liberation Movement politicians People from Eastern Equatoria Government ministers of South Sudan Women government ministers of South Sudan 21st-century South Sudanese women politicians 21st-century South Sudanese politicians University of Juba alumni Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Alumni of the University of Wolverhampton