Government-by-Government Assessments: South Sudan
There was no budget enacted for the fiscal year beginning July 2021. During the review period, the government did not publish an executive budget proposal, enacted budget, or end-of-year report within a reasonable period. Allocations to and earnings from the only major state-owned enterprise, the national oil company, were described in budget documents. Information on debt obligations, including state-owned enterprise debt, was not publicly available. The government maintained off-budget accounts not subject to civilian public oversight. However, military and intelligence budgets were subject to civilian public oversight. Information in budget documents was not reliable. Historically, when there is an enacted budget, actual revenues and expenditures did not reasonably correspond to the budget, and the government did not issue revised budget estimates. The supreme audit institution did not meet international standards of independence and did not audit the budget. The government specified in law or regulation but did not appear to follow in practice the criteria and procedures for awarding natural resource extraction licenses and contracts. Basic information on natural resource extraction awards was not publicly available.
South Sudan’s fiscal transparency would be improved by:
* Publishing an executive budget proposal, enacted budget, and end-of-year report within a reasonable period;
* Publishing substantially complete information on debt obligations within a reasonable period;
* Publishing timely audits of the major state-owned enterprise;
* Reporting state-owned enterprise debt;
* Eliminating off-budget accounts or subjecting them to adequate oversight and audit;
* Producing and publishing a supplemental budget when actual revenues and expenditures do not correspond to those in the enacted budget;
* Ensuring the supreme audit institution meets international standards of independence;
* Publishing timely and substantive audit reports;
* Following procedures for natural resource extraction contracts and licenses and awards; and
* Making basic information on natural resource extraction awards publicly available.
