Ministry of Finance Announces Plan for Timely Salary Payments

(JUBA) – The Government of South Sudan, through the Ministry of Finance and Planning, has issued a directive requiring all civil servants to open personal bank accounts to enable faster and more reliable salary payments.

This move follows recent highlevel meetings between the ministry and the Bank of South Sudan aimed at improving the public sector salary system.

In a circular dated 29 July 2025, the First Undersecretary of Finance, Mr Arop Nuqi Arop, informed all accounting officers across ministries, departments, commissions and authorities that immediate action is required to implement resolutions related to salary processing. The directive outlines a comprehensive plan for the digital transformation of the national salary payment system.

One of the key measures agreed upon is that every government employee must open a personal salary account with a commercial bank. This is aimed at easing delays and improving transparency in salary distribution. To support this initiative, the Bank of South Sudan has been tasked with addressing high tariffs and charges associated with opening, withdrawing from, and depositing into salary accounts.

In response, the Bank of South Sudan convened meetings with commercial banks and successfully negotiated reductions in these charges. The details of the revised tariffs were circulated along with the circular. The ministry has also committed to covering the costs of opening salary accounts, including for lower level and unclassified staff.

Additionally, the central bank has formally recognised mobile money as a legal and valid form of payment, a significant shift aimed at increasing financial inclusion. This means that civil servants may now receive their salaries via mobile money, provided the services are integrated with the banking system.

According to the ministry, civil servants who already have personal salary accounts have been able to access their payments smoothly. However, ministries and government bodies that have not complied with the new directives risk having their salary payments withheld.

To ensure compliance, all Directors General of Administration and Finance have been instructed to fast track the collection and submission of consolidated personnel salary account data to both the Ministry of Finance and the Bank of South Sudan.

Only those government agencies that have submitted complete banking details for all their staff will be eligible to receive salary payments. If a ministry or department fails to submit this data, its salary disbursements will be suspended until the required information is received.

Moreover, those who do not comply with the policy measures will be summoned to appear before the salary payment taskforce. This taskforce will assess their reasons for non-compliance and determine whether any challenges faced are valid or due to deliberate refusal to comply.

In the context of ongoing inflation and budget constraints, the move is expected to enhance accountability and reduce delays that have previously led to months long salary backlogs.

The Ministry of Finance and Planning has urged full cooperation from all accounting officers and committed to continue supporting digital financial inclusion and transparency in government payroll systems.