As South Sudan paints it Ministry of Finance with new leadership, expectations are high that urgent economic realities will take center stage.
With food prices rising across markets in Juba and other states, civil servants are once again bearing the burden of delayed and irregular salaries.
The new finance minister must make the regular payment of civil servants a top priority if the government is to restore public confidence and stabilize households struggling to survive.
In recent months, the cost of basic commodities such as sorghum, maize flour, cooking oil, sugar, and beans has risen sharply.
In markets like Konyo Konyo and Custom, traders blame the weakening South Sudanese Pound, high transportation costs, and heavy reliance on imports from neighboring countries.
For an ordinary civil servant whose salary is already unsure, months of non-payment mean empty kitchens, unpaid school fees, and mounting debts.
Civil servants form the backbone of public service delivery. They are teachers in classrooms, nurses in health centers, police officers maintaining order, and administrators ensuring government institutions function.
When they go unpaid for months, morale collapses. Some abandon their posts to seek alternative means of survival. Others resort to borrowing at high interest rates, trapping their families in cycles of poverty.
In worst cases, delayed salaries contribute to corruption, as desperate workers look for ways to supplement their incomes.
The new finance minister must understand that salary payment is not merely an administrative obligation, it is a matter of economic stability and social peace.
When thousands of government workers receive their wages on time, markets become active. Traders sell more goods, transporters earn income, and local businesses grow.
Conversely, when salaries are delayed, the wrinkle effect spreads across the entire economy, decreases purchasing power and increasing hardship.
The government has often cited limited revenues, fluctuated oil production, and competing national priorities as reasons for salary delays.
While these challenges are real, fiscal discipline and transparency are equally important. The Ministry of Finance must strengthen revenue collection systems, curb leakages, and ensure that available resources are allocated wisely. Paying civil servants should come before non-essential expenditures.
Furthermore, clear communication is essential. Civil servants deserve to know the government’s plan for addressing salary arrears.
Silence and uncertainty only fuel frustration. A realistic payment schedule even if gradual, would help workers plan their lives better than unpredictable disbursements.
The rising cost of food also calls for broader economic reforms. Stabilizing the exchange rate, supporting local agriculture to reduce import dependency, and improving infrastructure can ease pressure on prices in the long term.
However, these reforms take time. The immediate relief for struggling families lies in consistent and timely salary payments.
South Sudan’s stability depends not only on political agreements but also on economic justice. When teachers cannot feed their families, when nurses cannot afford transport to work, and when police officers struggle to survive, the nation’s foundation weakens.
The new finance minister has an opportunity to rebuild trust between the government and its workforce. Prioritizing the regular payment of civil servants will not solve all economic challenges overnight, but it will send a powerful message: that the government recognizes the suffering of its people and is committed to restoring dignity to public service.
In these difficult times, paying civil servants is not just a policy choice, it is a national responsibility.