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Juba – Al-Wadi Newspaper
The Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Dr. Bak Barnaba Chol, upon officially assuming his duties, called on ministry staff to double their efforts and work with a spirit of national responsibility to rescue the national economy, which is facing a severe crisis.
The minister affirmed his commitment to continue implementing strategic plans aimed at improving financial management in the country, stressing that economic reform requires “great sacrifices” and the recruitment of qualified professionals with strong academic and practical experience in finance and economics.
Dr. Barnaba noted that economic recovery will not happen overnight, emphasizing that it will take time and collective effort from all stakeholders. He urged ministry employees and citizens alike to remain patient and resilient, assuring them that the benefits of reform will eventually reach everyone.
Local media outlets and social media platforms circulated excerpts from the minister’s address, in which he underscored the need to adopt strict austerity policies to curb unnecessary spending and boost public revenues. Quoted to Eye Radio in Juba, the minister said:
“This time, we must focus on increasing collection and reducing spending. We are supposed to adopt austerity measures—a set of economic policies that encourage higher revenue collection and reduced expenditures. It is similar to a state of emergency in the security sector; when things get tough, we must tighten our tools and policies to fix the situation. The coming months will be somewhat difficult before we address these problems and change the current state of affairs.
There is no miracle, and no minister can change the situation in a short time unless we change our spending habits. I want everyone to spend wisely.”
Dr. Bak Barnaba was reappointed to the position at a time when the country is facing severe financial challenges resulting from declining revenues and rising living costs, amid expectations that the government will adopt tough economic measures to achieve financial stability in the near future.
