23/08/2025
Faces and Forces Behind the Network
Prof. John Akec
Prof. John Akec is a distinguished South Sudanese academic and technocrat, currently serving as the Chairman of the Board of Directors at the National Communication Authority (NCA) since June 2021. He previously held the position of Vice Chancellor at the University of Juba from March 2014 to March 2024 and was the founding Vice Chancellor of the University of Northern Bahr El-Ghazal in Aweil, appointed in May 2010.
Prof. Akec holds a Ph.D. in Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering from the University of Birmingham (2000), an M.Sc. in Systems Engineering with a specialization in robotics and automation from the University of Wales College of Cardiff (1992), and a B.Sc. (Honours) in Applied Physics and Electronics from the University of Gezira (1985).
He is an active member of the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM), serving on its Administration and Finance Committee, and has previously been affiliated with several international professional bodies, including the IEEE, IEEE Computer Society, the Institute of Electrical Engineers (UK), and ACM. In 2006, he served as a freelance analyst for Juniper Research on the African mobile phone market.
He is the visionary behind the introduction of the Master's program in Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity at the University of Juba.
He currently serves as the Managing Director of Mayardit Space Science Academy and is the Founder and Managing Director of Akec Consulting Limited.
There are numerous positive contributions that Prof. John Akec has made to the nation worth highlighting.