Michael Makuei Lueth, Minister of Information during a cabinet meeting on 10th July 2020. | File photo//Eye Radio

The Council of Minister has finally passed the 2021/2022 fiscal year budget.

South Sudan has been operating under 2019/2020 financial year.

The 287-billion South Sudanese pounds budget was first unveiled to the council in July at an estimate of about 500 billion.

The budget was passed after a detailed deliberation during the council meeting on Friday.

Michael Makuei who is the Minister of Information says the budget projections will be developed from the oil and non-oil revenues including grants from other countries.

“This budget include the revenues that will be generated from oil and revenue that will be generated from non-oil plus grants that we will get from some of the countries” Makuei told the press after the cabinet meeting.

The details of the 287 billion budget and its priorities have not been made public.

The Minister of Finance and Economic Planning is expected to table the draft budget before the R-TNLA, for timely endorsement by the August house.

Last financial year, the council passed a budget of 205 billion pounds.

South Sudan’s financial year covers 12 months, which runs from 1 July to 30 June each year.

By law, the budget is supposed to be submitted to the national legislature by not later than the 15th of May of each financial year, but this has not been happening for the last two years due to the lack of a legitimate legislature.

South Sudan’s two houses — the Transitional National Legislative Assembly and the Council of States were supposed to have been reconstituted nearly two years ago, according to the 2018 revitalized peace agreement.