South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"
By Awan Achiek
The National Legislature on Monday approved the 2024/25 fiscal budget totaling 4.2 trillion South Sudan Pounds.
The budget deficit of SSP 2.6 trillion will be financed through loans and external borrowing.
Michael Ayuen Johnson, Chairperson of the Standing Specialized Committee on Finance and Planning, while presenting the budget in it’s third reading asked the Ministry of Finance and Planning to endeavor to meet the budget deadline of May each year.
“The house directs the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning to coordinate with parliament, to impose punitive measures against institutions which don’t remit collections to the government coffers,” said Ayuen.
Ayuen said that the MPs directed the Ministry of Finance to clear membership arrears owed to the East African Community (EAC) amounting to $17.5 million, Northern Corridor with $683,333,66, IGAD with $12,978,030.92 and International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) with $1,146,140.30.
Dengtiel Ayuen Kuur, Chairperson of the Committee on Legislation and Legal Affairs said the budget will be financed with oil revenues accounting for SSP 1.1 trillion and non-oil revenue amounting to SSP 1.1 trillion.
He said the ministry has earmarked SSP 225.7 billion to facilitate investments in the agricultural sector, and stimulating food security measures and SSP 773.8 billion for salaries and wages, and SSP 1.0 billion for the purchase of goods and services.
Kuur disclosed that SSP 257.5 Billion is allocated for the December 2026 pre-election activities, and SSP 108.5 is earmarked for humanitarian and emergency treaties.
According to the Dengtiel, SSP 30 billion is allocated to the Humanitarian Emergency Fund and SSP 30 billion for International Treaties.
He also revealed that SSP 96 billion is budgeted for arrears for foreign missions and SSP 96 billion is allocated to the 10 States and three Administrative Areas.
SSP 93.7 billion is earmarked for peace implementation, and SSP 8.6 billion for the Agricultural Bank of South Sudan.
Meanwhile, the accountability sector has been allocated SSP 7.3 billion and the economic function sector SSP 197 billion.
The education sector will receive SSP 225 billion, and health sector SSP 54 billion, and SSP 445.3 billion is allocated for infrastructure development and SSP 65.4 billion is allocated to the natural resource sector.
