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

The Council of Ministers has announced an additional 580 billion South Sudanese pounds to the recently passed budget for the financial year 2022/2023, summing it up to a total of more than a trillion pounds.

Information Minister Michael Makuei revealed that the increment, meant to seal a financial deficit will be covered by increasing oil production, mobilizing non-oil revenue as well as loans from other countries.

Addressing the attending media after the cabinet meeting Friday, government spokesperson Makuei explained the details of the new budget.

“The budget is also budgeted on a deficit. There is a financial gap which is added to the sum of 558,669, 980,774 South Sudanese pounds. This is a financial gap. So, if you add this to the available resources, the budget will be within the range of 1.3 trillion pounds,” Makuei stated.

Last week, the cabinet passed a proposed budget of more than 800 billion South Sudanese pounds.

Makuei said the previously passed budget is equivalent to the available resources.

He also stated that the new financial deficit will be covered by an increase in resources mobilization.

“This amount is the budget for this year and with it there this deficit which I said will be increased covered by increasing the collection of non-oil revenue,

“And by increasing the production of oil, and also if possible by borrowing from other countries in order to cover the cost.”Makuei added.

In a separate statement, Minister Makuei also disclosed that the government is considering to develop a new scale for government employees.

“The issue of the salary structure also came up and it was agreed that instead of us going in for such an increment every now and then, that increment does not reflect the situation on the ground,” he said.

Makuei further revealed that the government has decided to set up a technical committee to work on the yet-to-be proposed salary structure.

“The last time we increased the salary by 100 percent, and it simply mean that if you are earning 1000 SSP, you will get 2000 SSP, so, we have decided to set up a technical committee to work out a new salary structure all together in accordance with the situation on the ground.”

It is not clear whether the plan to increase the civil servants’ salaries has to do with the budget increment.