Edmond Yakani, the Executive Director of the Community Empowerment Progress Organization [CEPO] - Credit: Eye Radio/Lou Nelson |

A civil society activist has called for a national conference that should draw South Sudanese economists to find solutions to the economic crisis.

Edmond Yakani, the Executive Director of the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization says having the experts on board can help the government find a long-term solution to the deteriorating economy of the country.

South Sudan is currently grappling with inflation and skyrocketing commodity prices.

The local currency has depreciated to a record high, leaving families struggling to survive.

Early this month, President Salva Kiir directed the new Minister of Finance and Planning, Dier Tong to fix the economy.

However, economists argue that the factors hindering economic recovery include lack of a diversified economy as seen in the high prices of basic commodities.

Speaking on the Dawn today, Edmond Yakani believes that conducting a national economic conference can help design a road map for both the Ministry of Finance and Planning and the Central Bank.

“There is a need for us to call for the National Economic Conference. Not for everybody, this National Economic Conference will bring the economic experts of this country from our academic institutions,”

“We have quite a number of them. University of Juba, Upper Nile University, and Bahr el Ghazal University call them and let them inform you,

“Don’t make it like the economic crisis management committee, because the economic crisis management committee become another crisis on economic, their cost of expenses, the way they meet and even their trips,

“I request the new Minister of Finance and the Central Bank to constitute that National Economic Conference not for people who are going to gamble, no, bring the professionals even if it means seven people. Sit, scrutinize the situation and look at our status,

“This requires at the least the political leadership to allow the professionals in the economic sector, so we don’t need to politicize solutions to the economic crisis.”