23/07/2025
Title: Misplaced Priorities: The Bank of South Sudan Must Stop Abusing Its Mandate
By: Zolkabir
On July 23, 2025, the Bank of South Sudan (BoSS) issued a defensive and rather contradictory press statement in response to a report by Eye Radio. The statement, signed by the Director of Communications and Public Relations, Majok Nikodemo Arou, attempts to dismiss claims that the central bank is planning to print more currency to address the country’s worsening liquidity crisis. Ironically, in doing so, the Bank ends up confirming exactly that – by admitting there is an “urgent need” to print more money in the short term.
This contradictory messaging reflects a worrying trend in public financial management and raises deeper concerns about institutional accountability, abuse of power, and deliberate misinformation.
1. Double-Speak in Broad Daylight
Let us begin with the Bank’s own words:
“In the short-term plans, we have made it very clear that there is an urgent need for us to print money just to meet the high demand for liquidity.”
This is a direct admission. And yet, in the same breath, the Bank claims that the article was misleading and false. How can something be both “misleading” and “accurate in quoting the urgency to print money”? This doublespeak not only erodes public trust but also exposes the institution’s attempt to play semantics rather than offer real economic leadership.
2. Printing Money Is Not a “Strategic Plan”
No amount of spin can change the simple economic truth: printing money to cover short-term liquidity gaps is neither sustainable nor strategic. It is a desperation tactic, a shortcut with devastating consequences—especially in a fragile economy like South Sudan’s. This kind of monetary policy fuels inflation, devalues the currency, and punishes ordinary citizens whose purchasing power is already battered by economic mismanagement.
A responsible central bank should focus on long-term stability, not temporary band-aids that only worsen the wound. If BoSS is serious about “currency management,” it should be investing in strengthening financial systems, building fiscal discipline, and promoting transparency—not running the printing presses.
3. Institutional Overreach Disguised as Independence
The statement arrogantly asserts that the Bank of South Sudan operates “as an independent institution” and does not take orders from the government on printing money. But what’s the point of such independence when it’s abused to serve political convenience rather than national interest?
Instead of acting as a stabilizing force, BoSS is increasingly becoming an enabler of fiscal recklessness. Hiding behind the letter of the law while violating its spirit is no mark of independence—it’s a sign of institutional failure.
4. Blaming the Messenger: A Cowardly Cop-Out
Rather than addressing the real economic concerns, the Bank shifts blame to Eye Radio and calls on it to retract the story. This is both unprofessional and undemocratic. Journalists are not enemies of the state—they are watchdogs of public interest. Suppressing the media does nothing to fix liquidity problems. If anything, it further exposes the fragility of governance and the intolerance for accountability.
5. The People Deserve Better
The people of South Sudan deserve clarity, not confusion. They deserve policies rooted in evidence, not excuses dressed as strategy. Most importantly, they deserve institutions that serve them—not ones that abuse their mandate to hide fiscal recklessness and pass the burden onto the most vulnerable through inflation, salary delays, and public hardship.
Final Thoughts:
The Bank of South Sudan must stop misusing its platform to justify bad policy decisions. Printing money—short-term or otherwise—is not a solution. It’s a symptom of deeper problems: poor planning, excessive government spending, and lack of transparency. Until these root causes are addressed, no amount of press statements can mask the painful reality on the ground.
The BoSS must rise above propaganda and begin to function as the guardian of national economic stability—not a mouthpiece for failed fiscal experiments. The sooner this is realized, the better for South Sudan’s struggling economy and its long-suffering citizens.
