South Sudan seceded from the north on Saturday, the culmination of a 2005 peace deal that ended decades of civil war.
South Sudan Finance Minister David Deng Athorbei told reporters in the capital, Juba, the country would receive its first shipment of South Sudan pounds from De La Rue, a British printer, on Wednesday.
“And then on the 18th, the government of South Sudan should have done its job … and then it will be the job of the Central Bank of South Sudan to issue the currency,” he said.
“From the 18th onwards, depending on the distribution … your money will be out.”
The minister said it would have a one-to-one value with the existing Sudanese pound, which would keep circulating in the north. He did not elaborate on how the currency would be managed.
The announcement came sooner than many expected. Officials had said earlier that South Sudan would introduce its own currency within six months.
The minister declined to say how long it would take to replace the northern notes, adding the Central Bank of South Sudan was due to make a statement on Tuesday.