U-turn: Trade minister cancels Crawford Capital suspension after VP Igga’s intervention

2026-03-14 - 11:57

The Minister of Trade and Industry, Atong Kuol Manyang, has cancelled a decision to review the operations of Crawford Capital Pay, a digital payment company that collects government revenues, following intervention from Vice President Dr. James Wani Igga. In a statement issued yesterday, Atong said the earlier decision to pause the operations of Crawford Capital Pay for 90 days has been cancelled following advice from Vice President Dr. Igga. She also revoked the 90-day administrative and technical review of the Crawford Capital Pay Digital Payment and E-Service System. The move comes after Vice President Igga directed the trade minister to reconsider the decision, saying the operation of Crawford was approved through a Council of Ministers resolution. Dr. Igga also directed Atong to first seek legal advice from the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs. A parliamentary committee had also protested the suspension of Crawford and directed the minister to reconsider the decision. Atong said her earlier decision to suspend Crawford falls within her mandate according to the Transitional Constitution. She stated the decision was not meant to dissolve, omit, nor reverse the Council of Ministers resolution but rather to review the challenges and improve the system within the ministry to serve the interests of the people. The minister further said her ministry remains in support of E-Service, automation, and integration into the East African Community system. However, she added that digitalization must be done in a systematic, transparent, and accountable manner to avoid disruption of trade, institutional operations, and for the greater good of the people of South Sudan.