Dr. Baak Barnaba Chol, the new Minister of Finance and Planning speaks in Juba. (Photo: Obaj Okuj)

Nearly 1 million US dollars will be spent to host the National Economic Conference in Juba next month, the Minister of Finance and Planning has said.

The conference aimed to drive growth and prosperity in South Sudan.

Dr Bak Barnaba Chol said the amount will be shared between the government and its partners.

He says 80 per cent of the budget for the conference will be covered by the Ministry of Finance and Planning.

However, Dr Bak added that the total expenditure of the conference will be announced by the end of the conference.

“We are paying above 80 percent of this cost and the total cost I will tell you next time. But it is not more than one million US dollars it’s in that range,” Dr Bak said.

“I believe if there’s an additional budget within a couple of days because we are still spending,” he said.

“It might require us to give you the total budget by the end of the conference itself. So, the budget is around a million and we are financing it with our partners and our partners have already pledged their parts.”

According to Dr Bak, the economic conference will be held in Juba next month.

It is expected to discuss economic issues and challenges facing the economy of South Sudan.

The event will also focus on the economic reforms stipulated in the revitalized peace agreement, and other issues including, economic transformation and economic policies.