National parliament sitting. September 20, 2024 (Photo: Eye Radio)

The national parliament is expected to launch its official website within a month, according to a Member of Parliament.

Oliver Mori Benjamin, the parliament spokesperson, said the move is part of efforts to improve public access to information.

He said the National Communication Authority is developing the website on behalf of the parliament.

The same institution is also working on websites for other government offices.

This follows calls by a rights group urging the National Assembly to set up a website and Facebook page to promote transparency and allow the public better access to legislative information.

Speaking to Eye Radio, Benjamin said: “Actually, this has been taken care of already by the National Communication Authority. They have now set up a site of their own across Gumba, the National Communication Authority headquarters.”

He added that the authority promised to get the website running within a month.

“For the government institutions, they know, now, the Minister of Finance has that website, they are taking the priority, they are working on it and the parliament is on the list. According to them, within a month and so on, this parliament will be having a website,” he said.

Benjamin said the delay in launching the site was due to several technical challenges, including South Sudan’s landlocked status, limited electricity, and international regulations.

He also mentioned past reliance on Sudan before independence, especially in areas like airspace and communication systems.

After independence in 2011, South Sudan was assigned its own internet domain with the country code “. SS.”

The code was issued by the International Organization for Standardization, which allocates internet and technical standards.

Meanwhile, last month, the Deputy Minister of Information warned government institutions against using private email accounts for official communication.

Speaking at the launch of the Media Authority’s website, Daviud Yauyau said: “On a related but crucial note, I would like to take this opportunity to urge all government institutions to transition away from the use of private email addresses and adopt government official email systems.”

“This is a matter of security, professionalism, and ensuring the integrity of official government communications.”