The Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning has revealed that it will spend about USD 1 million to organize the upcoming National Economic Conference set to take place from 4 to 8 September.

The announcement about the preparations follows President Salva Kiir’s March order to the finance ministry to hold the economic conference.

The conference aims to inform about the status of the economy, public finance management reforms, and stakeholders to present their concerns among other things.

Addressing the press on Wednesday in Juba, Finance Minister Baak Barnaba Chol said the conference will cost about a million dollars 80 percent of which will be paid by the government and the rest by donors.

“We are paying above 80 percent of this cost and the total cost is not more than one million US dollars and we are financing it with our partners who have already pledged their part,” he said. “My predecessor Dr. Dier Tong Ngor initiated and started this process and issued a ministerial order for the establishment of a technical organizing committee in April 2023, a concept note was developed by this committee and official launching was done on 19 July 2023 by Dr. James Wani Igga, the chairman of the economic cluster and a high-level steering committee was instituted to oversee the organization of the conference.”

“I will continue with those efforts and the preparation for the conference and I would like to assure you that the preparations are in progress,” Minister Barnaba added.

He also revealed that experts, analysts, and policymakers among others have been invited.

 We have already invited some experts and not only government institutions but we have gone out to scholars, think tanks, and policy makers and analysts,” the minister said. “We have invited a number of our partners and our friends in the region and across the world and they have confirmed their attendance.”