A civil society activist has appealed to the National Legislature to ensure that the national budget provides funding priorities to persons with disabilities in the country.
Last week, the Council of Ministers announced an additional 580 billion South Sudanese Pounds to the recently passed budget for the financial year 2022/2023, summing it up to a total of more than a trillion Pounds.
The proposed budget was presented by Finance Minister, Agak Achuil Lual during the regular council of ministers meeting chaired by President Salva Kiir on Friday.
The details of the 862 billion budget and its priorities have not been made public.
Edmund Yakani, Executive Director of CEPO said that having a formally approved budget of the government is essential because it offers a good chance to check the government institutions’ compliance with the required public finance management reforms as per the provisions of the R-ARCSS chapter four.
“Moment of demonstrating commitment for inclusion of persons with disabilities priorities in all our decision is now not tomorrow. In the past years, the national budgets were totally silent about the funding of priorities of persons with disabilities through the various interventions of government ministries. let the national budget be open to the allocation of funds for addressing concerns of persons with disabilities in South Sudan. Customizing the 2022-2023 national budget for the implementation of the R-ARCSS is seriously welcomed but it is the inclusion of priorities for persons with disabilities,” Mr Yakani stressed.
On Friday last week, The Minister of Information, Communication Technology, and Postal Services, Michael Makuei Lueth said that the budget is yet to be tabled for deliberation before the National Parliament.
“The annual sealing would be raised mainly through oil and non-oil revenues. This sealing was the first part of the budget, and the sealing was 862 billion South Sudanese Pounds, and it’s divided as follows; 763 billion South Sudanese Pounds, this will be from the oil revenue, and 99 billion South Sudanese Pounds will be from the non-oil revenues that are, from the taxes,” he said.
