By Bida Elly David
South Sudan civil society activist has urged government to increase the budget for key ministries such as agriculture, education, and infrastructure.
Executive director of the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization Edmund Yakani made the call as the cabinet approved SSP 1.8 trillion for the 2023–2024 fiscal year budgets.
He warns against pouring 50% of the budget into the defense and security sectors while neglecting other key ministries.
“This budget should not neglect education, health, and infrastructure. We want these priorities to be taken seriously),’’ he said.
Yakani expressed happiness to see the amount of 47.9 billion SSP allocated for the Constituency Development Fund (CDF.
He urged the government to stick to the Mapoto Protocol, which gives high priority to 10% of the national budget being injected into agriculture to promote farming among farmers across the country.
“I want to see the adherence of the government of South Sudan to the Maputo Protocol, of which we are part as president and signed on February 24, 2023,” he said.
The activist called on the parliament to prioritize the inclusion of citizens to make inputs towards the allocation of the national budget.
“We feel, we have better priorities than defense and security, which always consume 50% of the national budget,’’ he said.
He warned parliamentarians against unnecessary spending on the funds for their constituencies, noting that fair expenditure, representation would be crucial to serving democratic purposes.
Yakani appreciates the council of ministers for finally approving the national budget that will later be taken to the parliament for consideration in order to push the country ahead.