€10 million EU programme to support economic transition in Sudan

The European Union has launched a €10 million programme to support economic transition by strengthening Sudanese institutions, according to a statement by the EU delegation to Sudan.

On June 15, the inaugural steering committee of the three-year project, entitled ‘Supporting the Economic Transition in Sudan’, demonstrated “the EU’s steadfast commitment to public finance management, financial sector stabilisation and aid coordination,” the statement says. “The programme’s implementing partners, Expertise France and Overseas Development Institute (ODI) presented their main findings to assist the government of Sudan to achieve sound economic management.”

The EU statement points out that “Sudan has a once-in-a-generation window of opportunity to put itself on a path of economic and social renewal. The European Union (EU) has allocated around €400 million in support of Sudan’s transition process, as it is one of the most important recent developments, providing an opportunity for sustainable peace and transformation in the Horn of Africa. These financial resources will help ensure the provision of critical support to the Public Finance Management (PFM), address the most pressing needs of Sudanese, and promote peace, stability, democratic and economic governance in the country.”

The EU project will contribute to enhance transparency and accountability of public administrations, and will improve and strengthen public service delivery. It will also aim to enhance policy coherence concerning macroeconomic and Sustainable Development Goals strategies. This will be achieved through the support on building human capital in PFM in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning and the Bureau of Statistics, the National Audit Chamber, the Sudanese Tax Chamber. In addition, the programme also aims to stabilise the financial sector through asset quality reviews and a reform strategy with the Central Bank of Sudan.

‘Sudan has a once-in-a-generation window of opportunity to put itself on a path of economic and social renewal’ – EU delegation

The programme places a significant emphasis on transparency and information sharing as a fundamental building-block of aid coordination. As such, the programme’s steering committee saw the involvement of the main development partners in PFM, namely the International Monetary Fund, the Middle East Technical Assistance Centre, the World Bank, France, the United Kingdom, Germany and the Netherlands. Both Sudanese government officials and their international partners voiced their strong support for the role of the Aid Coordination Unit at a technical level. This endeavour will ensure that technical assistance in the PFM and financial sector is well managed and delivers results in line with the government’s priorities to enhance economic growth and reduce poverty in Sudan,” the statement concludes.

As reported by Radio Dabanga on Monday, the Council of the European Union has appointed three new EU special representatives (EUSRs) for Sahel, Horn of Africa, and Central Asia. Emanuela Claudia Del Re has been appointed EUSR for the Sahel, and Dr Annette Weber has been appointed EUSR for the Horn of Africa from 1 July 2021 until 30 August 2022. The EUSRs support the work of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell.