(JUBA) – South Sudan’s tax authority has begun training staff to improve how it communicates with taxpayers, a move aimed at lifting the country’s low levels of voluntary compliance and increasing the government’s own source revenue. The three day workshop, run by the South Sudan Revenue Authority in the capital Juba, is part of wider efforts to strengthen domestic resource mobilisation in a nation where public finances remain heavily shaped by oil sales and external aid.
The training runs from 23 to 25 June 2026 and brings together personnel from the Taxpayer Services and Education Department. Sessions are focusing on practical communication strategies, the use of plain and local languages to make tax matters clearer, and the use of multiple channels to remind citizens and businesses of their obligations. Staff are also being guided on how to help taxpayers move through the registration process, understand their responsibilities, and see the link between tax payments and the public services that government provides.
The workshop is led by Uwitonze Jean Paulin, a consultant from the African Tax Administration Forum who specialises in taxpayer services and education. His work with the team covers ways to address the generally low awareness of tax matters among the public and to build a relationship that encourages people to pay willingly rather than under pressure.
Speaking at the opening, the Deputy Commissioner for Administration and Finance, Santino Ayok Ring, said the aim is to give staff the tools to educate taxpayers so that they both understand and benefit from the services offered by the Revenue Authority and, as a result, meet their tax obligations. He called on participants to take an active part in all sessions.
The Commissioner for Strategy, Research and Planning, Morris Madut Kon, told attendees that building genuine partnerships with taxpayers is essential if the country is to generate more revenue from within. He said that for the government to provide the services people expect, taxpayers must be willing partners who understand their roles. Without that understanding, he added, South Sudan will not reach its full revenue potential. The approach, he said, means engaging taxpayers in a different way and helping them understand the purpose behind the tax system.
The push for stronger domestic revenue comes against a backdrop of a health sector that continues to call for a sharp increase in government health spending. T
The taxpayer education training follows another internal effort by the Revenue Authority to improve its own financial management. A two week workshop concluded on 19 June focused on preparing and implementing a Financial Management Manual. That exercise brought together staff from finance, human resources, procurement, planning and budgeting, internal audit and revenue reconciliation sections.
The consultant who led the financial management training, Hitimana Jean Pierre, also from the African Tax Administration Forum, said after the sessions that he was confident the Revenue Authority’s young professionals could drive real change. He said the staff he worked with had considerable potential and that, together with experienced colleagues, they are moving things in the right direction.
At the closing of the financial management workshop, the Commissioner for Corporate Services, Hon. Hakim Makuach, stressed the importance of ongoing practical skills development. He noted that while staff arrive with university degrees, the workplace requires applied training that connects them directly to daily duties. He urged participants to put what they had learned into practice to improve performance and help the Authority grow.