On Monday, August 4, 2014, the Resident Representative of the African Development Bank (AfDB) in Sudan, Abdul Kamara met the Federal Minister of Finance, Bader Eldin Mahmoud Abbas, to discuss recent economic developments and the Bank's current interventions in the country.
Kamara informed the Minister that the Bank's continued engagement in the country will be guided by the Bank Group Strategy for Sudan for the period 2014-2016, "The Sudan Country Brief", which he said would be considered by the Board in September 2014. He underscored capacity building and technical assistance in the areas of financial and economic governance as core priority of the strategy, and noted that the strategy will serve as a framework to assist Sudan access resources allocated to the country.
He indicated that about USD 168 million has been allocated to Sudan in the 13th replenishment of the African Development Fund (ADF), but noted that access to such resources would require exceptional eligibility approval by the Bank's Board, due to Sudan's current arrears status with the AfDB. He informed the Minister that the Bank currently has 10 ongoing operations in Sudan, all of which are grants, amounting to USD 60.8 million in total, and is expected to reach the USD 100 million mark by the end of this year.
The Minister praised the Resident Representative and the AfDB for the continued support, which he underscored as being very critical in advancing his country's development agenda. He requested the Bank to provide technical assistance to build capacity in the preparation of projects and programs and carrying out feasibility studies. He also requested the Bank to assist in assessing Sudan's social sector spending as well as helping the country to benefit from the Bank's private sector window. The Minister also highlighted possible areas for support for the Bank's consideration, including interventions for flood prevention, export promotion and establishment of trade corridors to facilitate trade between Sudan and South Sudan in the context of promoting peace and security.