Juba, South Sudan,
March 15, 2022 – The Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) calls on the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity to expedite the implementation of public financial management reforms to improve accountability and the fight against corruption in South Sudan,
The call comes days after a team from the Finance ministry met a delegation from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to discuss how the financial institution could work with the government to restructure and reform the financial management system in the country.
“Fighting all forms of corruption or delivering financial reforms through political statements than actualizing the required standards of operations for financial reforms and anti-corruption is not convincing enough. Government should show commitment towards transparent implementation of financial reforms provided for in Chapter IV of the revitalized peace agreement,” says CEPO’s Executive Director, Edmund Yakani.
South Sudan was ranked as the most corrupt country amongst 180 countries in the 2021 Corruption Perceptions Index by Transparency International (TI).
The TI index, which ranked 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption according to experts and business people, uses a scale of 0-100 – where 0 is highly corrupt and 100 is clean.
In January, the Troika called for an expedition in the implementation of public financial management reforms in South Sudan, saying strengthening of such reforms demonstrate the government’s commitment to the reform process and enhance trust with global partners.
South Sudan made significant progress on public financial management reforms, including prudent monetary policy, successful foreign exchange reform and steps towards sounder public cash management.
These steps, according to the Troika, have already benefited South Sudan’s people through a more stable exchange rate and slower inflation.
Speaking to the median, CEPO Executive Director, Edmund Yakani, urge the IMF and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning to ensure that mandated institutions are strengthened to provide the required oversight.
“CEPO is urging both the IMF and Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning to ensure that the other state institutions that are constitutionally mandated to ensure that transparency and accountability are practically functional without any political constraints,” said Yakani.
He cited state institutions such as the Auditor General of South Sudan, Anti-Corruption Commission of South Sudan, Fiscal Allocation and Monitoring Commission and the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of parliament.
“Non-functionality of these state institutions raises serious transparency and accountability concerns as financial reforms take effect,” stressed Yakani.
Meanwhile, CEPO urged the IMF to ensure that the United Nations Convention against Corruption is implemented and its outcomes reviewed.
Oil revenues constitute more than 98 percent of South Sudan’s annual budget.
