VP Igga blocks Atong’s order to suspend Crawford digital payment system

JUBA – South Sudan’s Vice President for the Economic Cluster, James Wani Igga, has instructed the Minister of Trade and Industry, Atong Kuol Manyang Juuk, to halt her directive ordering a 90-day review and suspension of the Crawford Capital digital payment and e-service system used for issuing import and export licenses.

In a letter dated Friday, March 6, 2026, Igga said the minister’s order could not proceed because the contract with Crawford Capital was approved through a formal resolution of the Council of Ministers and therefore cannot be altered by a single ministerial directive.

“The engagement of Crawford Capital was not a unilateral decision, but the result of extensive deliberations by the Economic Cluster,” Igga wrote, referring to Resolution No. 34/2024 adopted by the cabinet on September 14, 2024.

He emphasised that decisions taken through cabinet resolutions carry collective executive authority under the presidency and cannot be “dissolved, omitted, or reversed by a single ministerial directive.”

Igga warned that unilateral changes to the digital payment architecture could create legal liabilities and further revenue leakages for the government. He advised the minister to consult the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs and pause the implementation of her order.

The dispute follows a directive issued by the Ministry of Trade and Industry announcing the initiation of a 90-day administrative and technical review of the Crawford Capital system.

In the order, Minister Atong cited operational challenges affecting the system across the ministry’s 16 stations, including unstable internet connectivity, unreliable electricity supply, insufficient staff training, and limited awareness among traders.

The ministry warned that the system’s difficulties had disrupted the issuance of import and export licenses and strained its operations.

“As of today, fuel prices have sharply increased from SSP 6,900 to SSP 12,000 per litre because traders are unable to obtain licenses,” the order said, adding that the ministry’s operations were also constrained by the lack of an operational budget from the Ministry of Finance and Planning.

Under the ministerial directive, Crawford Capital would have temporarily stopped issuing import and export licenses while the review was conducted. During that period, the South Sudan Revenue Authority was expected to continue collecting license fees using the government’s existing manual financial procedures.

The ministry also planned to use the review period to conduct staff training and awareness campaigns for traders to improve compliance and operational capacity.

However, Igga’s intervention effectively freezes the directive pending legal consultation, setting up a dispute within the government over the management of the digital payment system and the authority to alter cabinet-approved contracts.