First and foremost, I would like to thank HE. Salva Kiir Mayardit, President of the Republic of South Sudan and HE. Dr. Riek Machar Teny Dhurgon, First Vice President of the Republic of South Sudan for their trust and confidence for appointing me to lead the Ministry of Petroleum, one of the most important ministries given the fact that our economy depends heavily on oil and. 98% of our national revenue is generated from oil.

It is because of the importance of the Ministry of Petroleum I have embarked on a number of reforms, policies reviews and restructuring of the ministry immediately upon my appointment to meet the current national and global economic challenges caused by the plunging global prices of crude oil, COVID – 19 pandemic and reduced demand on one hand and over supply on the other hand.

The challenges oil petroleum sectors is facing are immense which required cooperation and commitment from all stakeholder including our partners, as such, I will work hard and collaborate with all staff of the Ministry of Petroleum and our partners to:

• Increase oil production.
• Conduct Exploration to add more reserves.
• Reduce production & Operation cost.
• Reduce Environmental Pollution.
• Promote local Content participation.
• Conducting Licensing Round and promotion of the open blocks.
• Working with other stakeholders to make Bentiu Refinery Operational after commissioning last year 2019.
• Complete the Debottlenecking project for licensing Paloch Field Production.
• Address issues related to produce water management.
• Operationalize the Unified Human Resource Policy Manual (UHRPM) for all the Joint Operating Companies, (JOCs), namely Dar Petroleum Operating Company (DPOC), Greater Pioneer Operating Company (GPOC) and Sudd Petroleum Operating Company (SPOC).

Furthermore, I have prioritized a number of projects to increase oil production, and maximize government’s oil revenues, these are but no limited to:

1. Resumption of production in Block 5A.
2. Increase of production in Block 1,2, & 4.
3. Clean activities in DPOC Block 3 & 7.
4. Renovation of the Ministry’s Building at Jebel
5. Purchase of crops spraying aircrafts (this is in conclusive stage).
6. Establishment of the Data Center for the Ministry
7. Establishment of the Training Centre for our Engineers and support staff(this is in progress.
8. Encourage local content participation through indigenous companies and creation of employment to south Sudanese in the Petroleum Sectors.

Under my leadership the Ministry shall prioritize Health, Safety Environment (HSE) and shall ensure that communities where oil is produced in their areas benefits from oil production through job creation and provision of basic services such as schools, roads, electricity, clean water, sanitation, clinics and hospitals to them. Last but not least, I would like to thanks all the staff of the Ministry of Petroleum for their continuous hard work and commitment. I am privileged to work with such a great and dedicated team. From the Undersecretary, Advisors, the Directors General to the junior staff and unclassified staff of our ministry, and on a special note, the Department of the Information Technology which had launched the Ministry’s website, I am happy and proud of the tremendous work they have done. Congratulations! Finally, I would like to end my reminding the people of our beloved Republic of South Sudan of the Quote of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on peace. He said and quote “Peace is more precious than diamonds or silver or gold”. End quote. My countrymen and women, there is nothing precious that “PEACE”. Let us therefore, support the Revitalized Agreement of the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R – ARCSS) by being MESSENGERS of peace in all corridors of our beloved South Sudan and in everywhere our people live across the globe.