(JUBA) – The Bank of South Sudan (BoSS) has launched a five day workshop in Juba focused on improving the country’s payment infrastructure through the development and implementation of the Automated Transfer System Plus (ATS+). The event conducted in June, aims to build technical capacity among financial sector stakeholders in support of the National Instant Payment Systems (NIPS).
The workshop has drawn participants from commercial banks, financial institutions and other key organisations. It seeks to familiarise them with the core components of the digital payment architecture, including the Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS), Automated Clearing House (ACH), Instant Fund Transfer (IFT), and Central Securities Depository (CSD).
Mr David Akum Sabahker, Director of the National Payment Systems at BoSS, said the training is intended to prepare participants for the full adoption of the NIPS platform, which will enable fast, secure, and efficient transactions across South Sudan.
“In a matter of weeks or months, clients will no longer need to travel to the Central Bank or carry physical cheques, which pose both fuel and security risks. Transactions will instead be processed digitally using scanners from any location,” Mr Sabahker explained.
He noted that the workshop is designed not only to train participants, but also to equip them with the knowledge to train others in their institutions, enabling a broader roll-out of the digital system.
Among the attendees were Mr Nikodemo Majok Arou, Director of Communication and Public Relations at BoSS, as well as other senior technical staff.
The NIPS programme, which began in 2019, is a flagship digital finance project by the Central Bank and has already achieved a number of key milestones. These include the establishment of a legal and regulatory framework for the South Sudan Integrated Payment System and the creation of a dedicated payment systems department within BoSS.
This department now operates with a clear institutional mandate, reinforcing BoSS’s ambition to modernise South Sudan’s financial infrastructure and reduce the nation’s dependence on physical cash transactions.
The current efforts are part of a broader agenda by BoSS to improve financial inclusion in both urban and rural areas through technology-driven solutions.
Core Components of South Sudan’s NIPS System
| Component | Description |
|---|---|
| RTGS | Real Time Gross Settlement – high-value payments |
| ACH | Automated Clearing House – batch low-value payments |
| IFT | Instant Fund Transfer – real time small transactions |
| CSD | Central Securities Depository – manages securities |
