Agak Acuil Lual, the minister of finance and planning, and Moses Makur Deng, the governor of the Bank of South Sudan, have both been fired by President Salva Kiir of South Sudan.
In a decree that was shown on state television on Thursday, Kiir replaced Acuil as minister of finance and planning with Dier Tong Ngor, a former governor of the Bank of South Sudan. Makur’s deputy, Johnny Ohisa Damian, will take over as acting governor of the central bank.
The dismissals, which occurred amid hyperinflation and the South Sudanese pound’s (SSP) decline in value, were not explained by Kiir.
The SSP dropped from 450 to the dollar a month ago to a record low of 700 to the dollar.
Acuil Lual became the first Undersecretary of Trade and Industry on March 19, 2018. He was formerly in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning as Undersecretary dealing with financial management matters.
Lual’s prior public service includes being Director General in the Ministry of Petroleum and Mining. Prior to joining the government, he worked with the UNDP as Finance Management Specialist.
He also served as a senior Logistic Coordinator for UNDP in Rumbek. Acuil Lual also served with UN/OCHA in Aweil East and Northern Bahr El Ghazal as a Field Officer.
He holds Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting & Business Administration) from University of Zagazig, Egypt, and Higher Diploma in Administration from Heritage College, Ottawa, Canada. He also holds a Post Graduate Diploma and Masters of Science in Accounting & Finance from University of Juba, Republic of South Sudan.