Baba Medan Konyi, deputy information minister/File photo.

The Minister of Finance and Planning has presented to the Council of Ministers over 500 billion South Sudanese pounds budget estimates for the fiscal year 2021/2022.

This is according to the Deputy Minister of Information, Baba Medan.

The proposal was unveiled yesterday during the Council of Ministers meeting chaired by President Salva Kiir.

The details of the 551 billion budget and its priorities have not been made public.

But deputy information minister Medan says the Council of Ministers recommended further sitting to discuss in-depth what the proposed budget will focus on.

“After the deliberation, the Council recommended for a further sitting so that we go into detail and address the concerns because this is a national budget and we have to focus on the concerns,” the deputy information minister told the press on Friday.

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.

So far, President Salva Kiir has reconstituted the Transitional National Legislative Assembly but the legislatures have not been sworn into office.