By Awan Achiek
The Central Equatoria State Minister of Finance, Planning and Investment, Janet Aya Alex, on Monday submitted a fiscal year draft budget for 2026-2027, amounting to SSP 108.2 billion, to the Speaker of the State Legislative Assembly for consideration.
The proposed budget, submitted alongside the draft financial bill and draft appropriation bill, is expected to undergo discussion before its formal presentation to the August House for its first reading.
Addressing the media after submitting the draft budget at the state assembly on Monday, Minister Janet stated that the draft budget aims to address key priorities, including improving service delivery across the state.
“Our proposed ceiling is 108 billion SSP, which will mainly address security issues, and obviously, key services like education, health, and agriculture,” she said.
“These are vital; the budget will address these, of course, including all the other deliverables that will be cut in that draft budget.”
She added that the budget is intended to support the state’s development priorities and strengthen the delivery of essential services to the population.
“What we have witnessed before is presenting the budget to the Speaker, then the Speaker will convene the House, the ABC, to sit, and then later on convene the House for the first three days, at which point I will be officially invited to come and present the budget to the August House,” she explained.
Hon. Taban Emmanuel Baya, Speaker of the State Transitional Legislative Assembly, emphasized that the budget is not merely a set of figures but a policy document that outlines the government’s priorities and its commitment to delivering essential services to citizens.
“It is a contract between the government and the people of Central Equatoria. It tells our people where our money will come from, where our money will go, and what services our people will receive in return,” Taban stated.
He stressed that the draft budget ceiling should align with the Governor’s priorities and focus on key sectors, including peace and security, health, education, roads, agriculture, and service delivery to citizens at the grassroots level.
“We have to make sure that the budget is responding directly to the needs of our people. I assure the Honorable Minister and the entire Executive that this House will handle the budget with speed, without compromising scrutiny and accountability.”
Taban also urged the Finance Minister to submit quarterly budget performance reports, explaining that these reports are legally required to ensure transparency and accountability in the budget’s implementation.
“We will also talk about transparency. We will be asking for quarterly budget performance reports, which are a legal requirement and must be submitted to the House as required by law so that we really get the quality that our people deserve.”
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