Engineer Awow Daniel Chuang has taken oath as South Sudan’s new finance minister two days after he was appointed in a presidential decree.

On Monday, President Salva Kiir Mayardit witnessed the oath of office for the new minister during a brief ceremony in the capital, Juba.

Some members of the transitional cabinet and senior government officials attended the swearing-in ceremony administered by Chief Justice Chan Reec Madut.

In his remarks after the swearing-in ceremony, Kiir tasked the newly appointed Finance Minister to urgently curb the economic inflation facing the country.

The South Sudanese leader, according to the Presidential Press Unit, expressed confidence in Awow’s “long track record of experience and dedication” to public service, urging him to implement policies that will lift the economic burden on the people.

For his part, the new minister acknowledged the severity of the economic crisis and vowed to take “decisive action to curb the hyperinflation and stabilize consumer market prices across the country.”

Awow, a former minister of petroleum, was appointed to the position last Friday after the sacking of Dr Bak Barnaba Chol, who served only six months in office.

Although the specific rationale behind Bak’s unexpected removal remains undisclosed, it coincided with economic challenges, including the devaluation of the local currency, which has consequently resulted in runaway inflation.

Before taking up his new post, Awow was a technical adviser at the Ministry of Petroleum.

Engineer Awow is a member of the ruling SPLM Party led by President Salva Kiir.