The United Nations has appointed Ghanaian diplomat Anita Kiki Gbeho as its new Special Representative for South Sudan and Head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan.

The appointment was announced by the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres in a press statement. He commended Ms Gbeho’s extensive experience across political, humanitarian and development operations within the United Nations system.

She takes over from the late Nicholas Haysom, whose leadership of UNMISS was praised for its impact on peace building efforts in the conflict-affected country.

Ms Gbeho brings more than 25 years of experience working in complex environments, including conflict and post-conflict settings across Africa and beyond. Her career has seen her contribute to UN operations in countries such as Somalia, Sudan, Iraq and Cambodia, positioning her as a seasoned figure in international diplomacy and crisis management.

Prior to her latest appointment, she served as Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General in South Sudan, while also holding the roles of Humanitarian Coordinator and Resident Coordinator. In these capacities, she was instrumental in coordinating humanitarian responses and development initiatives, and at times acted as Officer-in-Charge of the mission.

Her previous assignments include senior leadership roles within the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia and the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur, where she worked on stabilisation and peace support efforts.

She also served with the United Nations Development Programme in Namibia and held positions within the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Ms Gbeho’s academic background includes studies in the United States and Ghana, earning degrees in social sciences and international relations from the University of Ghana and the State University of New York.

Her appointment comes at a critical time for South Sudan, where the United Nations continues to play a central role in peacekeeping, humanitarian assistance and support for political stability. As head of UNMISS, Ms Gbeho is expected to lead efforts aimed at sustaining fragile peace and advancing long-term recovery in the country.

The development also underscores Ghana’s continued contribution to global diplomacy and peacekeeping, with Ms Gbeho joining a distinguished list of nationals who have served in high-level international roles.

Mr George disclosed that the laptops had been customised to meet the specific needs of the programme and would support structured learning in coding and emerging technologies.

He recalled that the pilot phase, launched nearly a year ago, initially targeted 500 beneficiaries across four centres, but received overwhelming interest, attracting about 94,000 applications within 48 hours.