South Sudan’s Ministry of Petroleum said caretaker minister Awow Daniel called for stronger oversight capacity in the oil and gas sector at a meeting with senior management and staff on 23 September. The ministry’s account says the discussion covered administrative challenges, internal coordination and the delivery of regulatory responsibilities. It focuses on how the ministry performs its oversight role; it does not announce a new production, licensing or investment decision.

Daniel said responsibilities across departments and levels of management needed to be coordinated. The ministry’s notice names the undersecretariat, technical advisers, directorates-general and department heads as parts of the institution’s wider mandate. In operational terms, this concerns functions such as passing technical files between departments, bringing monitoring findings to management and applying decisions consistently across the organization.

The minister also called for stronger coordination with the National Legislative Assembly. Oversight of petroleum activity depends on information-sharing among public bodies and accountable reporting to legislators about how the sector operates. Such links can matter for licensing rules, contract oversight and compliance with sector obligations. The ministry statement, however, does not announce a new law, inspection programme or reporting system. It describes engagement with legislators as an institutional priority.

Regulatory capacity involves more than internal administrative order. Continuity among technical staff, reliable records, clear allocation of responsibilities and traceable decisions are basic elements of public oversight in oil and gas. They can also help investors understand which agency handles a permit or regulatory process. But a meeting that states a coordination goal does not show that procedures have improved or that operational obstacles in the sector have been resolved.

Undersecretary Santino Ayuel Longar said the management team was ready to work with the caretaker minister. The ministry’s account closed by emphasizing institutional unity, accountability and collective responsibility. It called on managers and staff to cooperate in carrying out the regulator’s mandate. This describes the ministry’s priorities; it is not an implementation report supported by performance indicators, administrative outcomes or production data.

Subsequent evidence could include decisions on staff responsibilities, technical expertise and information systems, how inspections operate, and whether regular reporting channels with the legislature are established. The 23 September notice documents the ministry’s stated need for coordination, not that these measures have already been taken. Assessing regulatory capacity in South Sudan’s petroleum sector will require evidence of formal actions and outputs.