Economic committee directs Finance Ministry to resume paying public salaries

The Ministerial High-Level Committee on Economic Reform has directed the Ministry of Finance and Planning to begin disbursing salaries for civil servants and funding for foreign missions following a reported surge in cash revenue collections by the South Sudan Revenue Authority (SSRA).

However, the committee did not announce a specific timeline or exact start date for when the disbursements will reach government workers and diplomatic staff.

Speaking to state broadcaster SSBC following Thursday’s committee meeting, Acting Rapporteur and Minister of Public Service and Human Resource Development, Ezekiel Lol Gatkuoth, confirmed that foreign missions will receive both long-overdue salaries and property rental funds.

“The embassies will be receiving their salaries and also rental money,” Lol stated.

“The policy is actually progressing well, and we are happy that cash collections are actually being realized. Today is a good day for the Republic of South Sudan, and public servants will be receiving their salaries, including the embassies.”

Thursday’s meeting was chaired by Minister of Information, Communication Technology, and Postal Services Ateny Wek Ateny, who also serves as the committee’s Deputy Chairperson.

The high-level body is tasked with overseeing fiscal management, non-oil revenue mobilization, public expenditure, and economic stabilization measures.

Civil servants and members of South Sudan’s organized forces have faced severe financial strain due to prolonged payment delays, with some public sector workers reporting salary arrears exceeding eight months.

The government has previously acknowledged these delays, maintaining that public sector pay is being processed and released in phases.

In July, government spokesperson Ateny Wek Ateny noted that select national ministries and military personnel had received partial payments while state-level payrolls were being processed.