A South Sudanese economist and a civil society activist have called on the government to use part of the recently passed 613 billion SSP budget for infrastructure and agricultural projects.
The council of ministers passed a colossal budget of 613 billion SSP for the fiscal year 2021/2022 on Wednesday last week. This year’s budget is almost three times that of the last financial year, 2019/2020.
In an interview with Radio Tamazuj over the weekend, economist Professor Abraham Matoc, who also doubles as the Vice-Chancellor for Dr. John Garang University, said the budget should be used for investment in infrastructure since relative peace has returned to most parts of the country.
“This is a time of peace and during peacetime, there must be an investment in the areas of infrastructure and economic protective sectors of the country and therefore the budget is likely to triple or double and that is allowed. In other words, the budget might have been based on the estimates of the activities that are to be done during the current year,” Prof. Matoc said.
Edmund Yakani, the Executive Director of Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) said the government should use part of the money to prioritize both agricultural and infrastructural projects.
"I hope that 10 percent of this budget will go to agriculture because it is a productive sector that by itself increases non-oil revenue. And because agriculture is a priority, then the next thing they need to invest in is infrastructure, specifically in terms of roads, because our farms are disconnected from the markets," Yakani stressed.
Charles Ohisa Pirro, a civil servant working as a legal counsel at the justice ministry said that the budget should help address civil servants' salary increments.
“Even if the salaries will be delayed, we need at least an increment of salary that can match with the standard of the budget. This is actually what civil servants have been appealing ever since, for our salary to be increased to a minimum wage standard that can afford the feeding at home, medication for children, school fees, water and electricity, and rent. This is a minimum wage,” Ohisa said.
The government says this year’s budget will come from three sources; oil proceeds, non-oil revenues, including borrowing, and support from the donors.