Japheth Ogila
Africa-Press – South-Sudan. The government, through the Ministry of Finance and Planning, will launch the National Economic Conference to provide a platform for discourse on how to solve the country’s economic woes.
Yesterday, the ministry issued a press invite, alerting the media to prepare for the official opening of the event at its headquarters in Juba tomorrow.
The conference is expected to be attended by different government institutions and their partners, who play crucial policy roles in shaping the country’s economic future.
The conference comes nearly four months after President Salva Kiir directed the Ministry of Finance and Planning to plan for it in order to address the growing economic crisis.
“I am today directing the Ministry of Finance and Planning to organize the South Sudan National Economic Conference that will complement the ongoing public finance management reform,” Kiir said during the inauguration of the Transitional National Legislative Assembly in Juba in March this year.
“This economic conference should bring together all the sectors of our economy and stakeholders, including our development partners. The objective of this conference will be to address the fundamental challenges that are holding our economy back,” Kiir added.
Previously, President Kiir had explained that the recommendations of the conference would assist the government in finding a solution to the economic crisis challenging the country.
President Kiir’s speech drew praise from a section of the lawmakers, who hailed the proposal for the conference as a potential game-changer in addressing the country’s economic challenges.
One of the was the suspended lawmaker representing the Sudan People Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO) in the national parliament, Juol Nhomngek who argued that the runaway exchange rate of the US dollar against the South Sudanese pound ought to be prioritised.
“That speech of the President, according to me, is good. The only thing needed is implementation. We have seen recently that the exchange rate of the US dollar against the pound is going up, and prices are going up,” Juol said.
In addition, Executive Director of the Community for Empowerment Organization (CEPO), Edmund Yakani, pointed out that factors hindering economic recovery include the lack of a diversified economy and the high prices of basic commodities in the market.
Yakani urged the minister of finance to be more technical in selecting the attendees of the conference, and ensure that they were professionals.
“This National Economic Conference will bring in economic experts of this country from different academic institutions, not everyone,” he noted.
“Don’t make it like the economic crisis management committee because of the economic crisis management committee is focused on their cost of expenses, the way they meet, and even their trip,” he said.
“I am today directing the Ministry of Finance and Planning to organize the South Sudan National Economic Conference that will complement the ongoing public finance management reform.”- President Salva Kiir as he spoke in March 2023
Source: The City Review South Sudan
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