Governor Lobong frustrated by unimplemented resolutions of Governors’ Forums

JUBA – The governor of South Sudan’s Eastern Equatoria Louis Lobong has expressed frustration over the failure to implement recommendations made during annual Governors’ Forums, highlighting concerns about the slow pace of power devolution of powers and resource-sharing with the states.

Speaking at the opening of the fourth high-level forum summit on fiscal devolution and revenue management in South Sudan on Tuesday, Lobong criticized the lack of progress on key issues that have been repeatedly raised by state leaders.

“This is not the first time we’ve talked about devolution of powers and resources to states,” Lobong said. “We have raised these issues several times in the Governors’ Forum, but the implementation is not being realized.”

The summit, which runs for three days, was attended by Vice President Dr. James Wani Igga, and aims to discuss fiscal federalism, wealth-sharing, and revenue management under South Sudan’s permanent constitution-making process.

The event comes amid growing discontent from oil-producing states and communities, which have criticized the failure to implement the promised 5 percent share of oil revenue.

Vice President Igga acknowledged the challenges in fiscal devolution, stressing the need to identify and address these issues to avoid repeating past mistakes.

“In the sphere of fiscal devolution, which is the real talk, are there challenges? Yes, there are challenges,” Igga said. “We need to unearth these challenges so that we begin a new age. If we don’t bring them to the surface, we will take things for granted, and the same mistakes will continue.”

Igga also highlighted the lack of a solid statistical base for horizontal revenue sharing and raised concerns over the control of national resources by state governments.

Minister of Federal Affairs, Lasuba L. Wongo, emphasized the importance of transparency in managing public revenue. He stressed that fiscal federalism is a critical component of South Sudan’s federalization process.

“The transitional constitution provides for decentralization of the government with more powers and resources allocated to the lower-level governments, that is the states and local governments,” Wongo said.

While the conference’s primary focus is fiscal devolution, wealth-sharing, and the permanent constitution-making process, Lobong expressed disappointment over the unfulfilled promises of power devolution, pointing out contradictions in the 2018 peace agreement, which he claimed centralized power.

Dr. Riang Yer Zuor, Chair of the National Constitutional Review Commission, cited Articles 169, 180, and 181 of the transitional constitution as guiding principles for the equitable sharing of national wealth and the establishment of fiscal institutions to manage funds and allocate revenue to states and local governments.

The event, organized by the Council of States in partnership with UNMISS and UNDP, brings together key stakeholders, including the National Ministries of Petroleum, Federal Affairs, and Finance, as well as policymakers, civil society members, lawmakers, and representatives from oil-producing communities.

The first day of the summit focused on national experiences of fiscal devolution and related policy recommendations, while the following days will explore fiscal federalism and wealth-sharing in the context of South Sudan’s constitution-making process.