By Jacob Onuha Nelson
The Governor of Eastern Equatoria State (EES), Louis Lobong Lojore, has urged the officials in the Bank of South Sudan (BoSS) to purchase gold directly from locals.
In a statement to the media, the governor made the call during his courtesy visit to the Bank of South Sudan in Juba.
The governor noted unregulated activities in gold mining activities and called for proper regulation from concerned institutions.
“Governor Lobong further raised concern over the unregulated gold trade in the state,” the statement partly read.
Lobong revealed that many local community gold miners, mostly local artisanal miners, sell crude gold to foreign traders operating informally within mining areas.
“These transactions often occur outside government regulation, with little to no revenue generated for the country,” he appealed.
According to the statement, the governor called on the Central Bank to explore mechanisms for purchasing gold directly from local communities.
He emphasized that such an initiative could help the bank accumulate gold reserves and strengthen the nation’s economic resilience amid ongoing fiscal challenges.
“The bank needs to convene a meeting to assess the possibility of buying gold from locally available artisans to curb the economic crisis,” the governor said, according to the statement.
The visit to the Bank of South Sudan marked the final engagement in the governor’s series of strategic meetings during his stay in the capital.
In a separate development, the governor promised to allocate land for the construction of a Bank of South Sudan branch in Nimule Border Town.
“The governor pledged that the state government is prepared to allocate land in Nimule and other key border towns for the establishment of Bank of South Sudan branches to facilitate efficient revenue collection and financial services in these economic corridors,” the statement partly read.
According to the statement, it stated that Governor Lobong commended the bank for its recent efforts in settling salary payments for the past few months, acknowledging the critical role the institution plays in supporting government operations.