Kiir fires Johnny Ohisa as Bank of South Sudan Governor again
The move marks the latest in a series of frequent leadership changes in the country’s financial sector, with no official reason provided for Ohisa’s removal. This is the second time Ohisa has been sacked from the governorship, reflecting the volatile nature of South Sudan’s political and economic landscape.
Mr. Ohisa, a seasoned financial professional, has had a notable career in banking and development. He holds a Master’s Degree in Development Finance from the University of Reading in the United Kingdom and a Bachelor’s Degree in Banking and Export from the Sudan University of Science and Technology.
Before joining the Bank of South Sudan, Ohisa served as Deputy Managing Director and later Managing Director of the International Commercial Bank (ICB-SS). He also worked with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Sudan, Kenya, and the Democratic Republic of Congo as a Program Budget Analyst and Senior Acquisition and Assistance Specialist, and held a position with World Vision International in Kenya.
Ohisa’s first engagement with the Bank of South Sudan began in 2019 when he served as Director-General for Currency and Banking Operations until April 2021. He was appointed First Deputy Governor in May 2021 and briefly acted as interim governor in August 2022 following the dismissal of Moses Makur Deng. Later that month, President Kiir confirmed Ohisa as the substantive Governor of the Bank of South Sudan, a position he held until October 2023.
During his first tenure as governor (August 2022–October 2023), Ohisa introduced significant reforms to stabilise South Sudan’s struggling economy.
Notable achievements included halting government overdrafts to curb the growth of broad money, introducing the Term Deposit Facility (TDF) as an indirect monetary policy tool to complement foreign exchange interventions, and signing a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Finance to establish a single treasury account at BoSS.
These measures aimed to address hyperinflation and the rapid depreciation of the South Sudanese pound, which had fallen to 700 SSP per US dollar on the black market by August 2022.
Despite these efforts, Ohisa was sacked in October 2023, with James Alic Garang, an advisor to the International Monetary Fund, appointed as his replacement.
In a surprising turn of events, President Kiir reappointed Ohisa as Governor of the Bank of South Sudan in December 2024, replacing James Alic Garang.
This decision was part of a broader reshuffle that also saw the dismissal of the army chief and police chief, with security sources citing unpaid soldier wages as a possible factor in the shake-up.
Ohisa’s second tenure began amid continued economic challenges, including a depressed economy and persistent currency depreciation. However, Ohisa’s second stint as governor lasted only six months, culminating in his dismissal on June 9, 2025.
He hands over the ship to Mr Othow, the Former Managing Director of Equity Bank South Sudan, a PhD holder in Political Economy and Business Administration, and an alumnus of Strathmore University Business School’s Advanced Management Programme.
sudanspost.com