(Ecofin Agency) - South Sudan’s national Minister of Petroleum in the Transitional Government of National Unity, Dak Duop Bichiok, has announced that his ministry is doing everything possible to make sure that oil production in the country increases by July 2016.

According to him, a 21 member team has been set up to work on the process of increasing the oil production. The team will begin with the execution of the reform and review in the oil sector as specified in the August 2015 peace agreement.

“We have formed a technical committee of 21 members chaired by the Under-secretary of the Ministry of Petroleum, Engineer Mohamed Lino, to work out plans for reform and review in the oil sector,” he said adding that the evaluation process will include oil companies active in the country.

Oil production in South Sudan dropped considerably from the start of the two years of civil war when nearly all the oilfields in the Unity state were closed including those in the Upper Nile state.

The output fell from more than 300,000 bpd in 2013 to around 165,000 bpd in 2014.

This decline which accounts for 98% of the country’s budget together with the fall in global oil prices brought about the lack of revenues to run the government, Sudan Tribune reports.

Anita Fatunji