Dr. Marial Dongrin Ater, the Minister of Finance and Planning delivering his speech at handover ceremony on July 15, 2024 - Eye Radio/Lou Nelson

The Minister of Finance and Planning has assured that efforts are underway to address economic challenges, though he cautions that significant improvements may take time to manifest.

Dr. Marial Dongrin Ater urged the public to remain patient as the government works on economic recovery plans. He emphasized that there are no quick fixes to the current economic challenges, which require hard work, commitment, and sacrifices.

South Sudan has been severely affected by the disruption of oil flow through Sudan and the lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

These issues have led to delays in civil servant salaries and the closure of schools, particularly in Juba, where some teachers have had to keep classrooms shut due to economic hardships.

Dr. Dongrin stressed that his office and financial institutions need time to address the economic downturn.

He also called on ministry staff and other institutions to remain dedicated to their roles, highlighting that everyone has a part to play in the recovery process.

The Minister of Finance made these comments during the reception ceremony for the ministry’s new Undersecretary, Garang Majak Bol, in Juba on Tuesday, August 20, 2024.

“This situation is very complex that we need to critically analyze and come up with what to do before you talk,” Dr Dongrin said.

“I want to give you the assurance that my team in the ministry and together with colleagues in the government do understand the situation that we are in, and everything is being done to get us out of this,” he said.

“It will not happen maybe in a day or month, but I want to assure you the people of South Sudan we have gone through a difficult time, maybe even worse than this.

“We have always tried, and we have always come out strong. I believe in the resilience of our people, we don’t underrate the gravity of the situation, but we are also determined to fix this.”

Dr Dongrin stated that the government has a clear plan for economic recovery, outlined in the upcoming budget to be presented to the Council of Ministers.

He emphasized that the budget will address not only salaries but also the broader needs of the people of South Sudan.

“The government through the budget process has a clear economic recovery plan, and we don’t want to talk about it until we present it to parliament, and we will be implementing that plan administratively and even through legal reforms,” Minister Dongrin said.

“We are calling you to support us, there is no shortcut to coming out. It requires some effort and requires patience, it requires sacrifices and it requires hard,” he said.

“The president has directed anyway, we have no choice, we have to pay salaries. We are not going to sit down and say the longest period will only be handling the salaries. We will also look for resources from other avenues to be able to cater for all the other needs.”