On Thursday October 3, 2013, the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Government of Sudan signed a Protocol of Agreement for Technical Assistance for the preparation of a full Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP). The grant is financed with UA 1.97 million (US $3.2 million) from Pillar III of the Fragile State Facility. Most of the funds will go towards financing a National Baseline Household Survey (NBHS) in all 18 states in Sudan, which will be the first since the secession of South Sudan.

The ceremony was presided over by Yousif Abdallah Al-Hussein, the Undersecretary of Ministry of Finance and National Economy (MOFNE), who expressed great appreciation of the Bank's efforts. In his remarks, Abdul Kamara, AfDB Resident Representative in Sudan, underscored the continued commitment of the Bank to supporting Sudan's development efforts. He also mentioned the importance of the PRSP for Sudan's debt relief process.

The PRSP process is important for Sudan's arrears clearance and debt relief process, especially for fulfilling the conditions for debt relief under Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) and the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative (MDRI). The Bank had earlier this year provided a technical assistance that helped the country to prepare its arrears clearance and debt relief strategy, which will be discussed at the World Bank/IMF Annual Meetings in Washington, DC on October 11-13, 2013.

The signing ceremony was also attended by the Director General of the Central Bureau of Statistics, Directors from MOFNE and other representatives of the Government of Sudan.