Finance Minister Dr Bak Barnaba Chol presented the budget in recent days|Courtesy

The Transitional National Legislative Assembly (TNLA), through its Standing Specialized Committee on Finance and Economic Planning (CoFEP), has announced a two-day public hearing on South Sudan’s Fiscal Year 2025/2026 National Budget and Finance Bill.

The public hearing is scheduled to take place on Thursday, 12 February and Friday, 13 February 2026, at the Rub-Hall of the National Legislative Assembly in Juba, beginning at 9:30 a.m. each day.

According to a statement issued by the Chairperson of the Committee, Rev. Michael Ayuen Johnson (MP), the event is being held under the theme: “Towards a Transparent, Inclusive, Comprehensive, and Credible Revenue Collection for Accountable and Equitable Resource Distribution and Use Across the National, States, and Administrative Areas.”

The committee said the objective of the hearing is to provide stakeholders with an opportunity to understand and contribute to the national budget-making process, including the Draft National Budget, which outlines projected government spending based on revenue estimates, and the Finance Bill, which proposes tax rates and fees intended to finance the budget.

Wide Stakeholder Participation Expected

The TNLA has invited a broad range of stakeholders to participate in the discussions. These include representatives of specialized parliamentary committees, national ministries, departments and agencies, as well as state and administrative area ministries of finance, parliaments and revenue authorities.

Regional and continental organizations such as the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the African Union (AU), and the European Union (EU) have also been invited, alongside international and regional financial institutions.

Development partners, including the World Bank and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), are expected to attend.

Civil society organizations (CSOs), community-based organizations (CBOs), manufacturers’ associations, trade unions, chambers of commerce, youth and women’s groups, media houses, people living with disabilities, faith-based organizations, academia, think tanks, student bodies and members of the public are also encouraged to participate.

Focus on Finance Bill and Draft Budget

The two-day event will focus on separate but related components of the fiscal framework.

Day One will center on the FY 2025/2026 Finance Bill. The program includes registration and opening remarks by the Chairperson of CoFEP, followed by remarks from the Rt. Hon. Speaker of the TNLA on the significance of public hearings.

Public presentations aligned with the schedules of the Finance Bill will be delivered, with up to 15 presenters allocated five minutes each. A question-and-answer session and a panel response by experts will conclude the day.

Day Two will focus on the Draft National Budget. Presentations will address allocations across key sectors, including Accountability, Economic, Education, Health, Infrastructure, Natural Resources and Rural Development, Public Administration, Rule of Law, Security, and Social and Humanitarian Affairs.

Similar to the first day, public presentations will be followed by a question period and panel responses, before closing remarks by officials from the Ministry of Finance and Planning (MoFP), the TNLA, and representatives of the World Bank-supported project team.

Part of Public Financial Management Reforms

The committee noted that the public hearing forms part of broader Public Financial Management (PFM) reform efforts supported by the World Bank under the Public Financial Management and Institutional Strengthening (PFMIS) Project.

The initiative aims to enhance transparency, accountability, and efficiency in budget preparation and execution at both national and state levels.

Links to the Draft Budget Book, the Finance Bill, and the Citizen Budget Guide have been made available to the public ahead of the hearing to facilitate informed participation.

For additional information, stakeholders have been advised to contact Hon. Ding Lam Yual (MP), Activity Focal Point, or the Office of the Chairperson, Committee on Finance and Economic Planning, at the National Legislative Assembly in Juba.

The TNLA said it expects the public hearing to strengthen citizen engagement and promote inclusive dialogue in the formulation of the country’s 2025/2026 fiscal framework.