Jaber directs efforts to enhance the investment environment in Northern State.

The Member of the Transitional Sovereignty Council and Assistant Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Engineer and Naval Consultant, General Ibrahim Jaber, reaffirmed his support for the outcomes of the First Investment and Industry Forum in Northern State, announcing the second forum will be held in River Nile State next January.

During the Investment Forum’s opening session in Port Sudan, Jaber instructed the ministries of transport, industry, communications, and infrastructure to facilitate domestic flights from Port Sudan Airport to Dongola Airport and extend the fiber network to improve telecommunications services. He also emphasized the need for maintaining the national highway connecting the administrative capital to the Northern State to enhance accessibility for investors.

Jaber emphasized the importance of incorporating industrial cities with residential areas and establishing an industrial consultancy center in Dongola. He pledged to establish a vocational and technical training institute through the Ministry of Labor to qualify skilled labor. He further directed the Federal Ministry of Agriculture to relocate one of its research centers to Northern State to enhance technology transfer and support farmers, who are the backbone of the industry.

Jaber directs efforts to enhance the investment environment in Northern State.

Jaber noted that the Sudanese government has offered numerous incentives to the industrial sector, along with passing an industrial law that simplifies investment procedures for both foreign and domestic investors. This aims to meet the local market's needs and encourage increased industrial exports. He stressed that the industrial sector is the only one capable of employing a large number of Sudanese citizens and that the government supports the creation of industrial and investment projects for public benefit. He added that the government is working diligently to finalize the National Investment Agency, which is currently under discussion between the Ministry of Investment and the Cabinet, as well as the national investment law, which will soon be published in the official gazette to serve as an incentive for all investors and manufacturers wishing to work in Sudan.

Jaber highlighted that organizing the forum by Northern State aims to showcase its promising potential due to the diversity of its resources.

Minister of Investment and International Cooperation, Ahlam Madani Mahdi, in her remarks, commended the idea of holding the forum outside the Northern State while ensuring its continuity to cover all regions of the country, reflecting the efforts of the Ministry of Investment to promote opportunities. She restated her support to all government agencies involved in the sector, adding that the ministry has revised the Investment Promotion Act 2021. The amended draft and its provisions offer great opportunities for investors.

Ahlam Madani also mentioned that the extensive destruction caused by the war has led to the shutdown of all factories and industrial zones in Khartoum, Gezira, and parts of Sennar and White Nile States. This destruction of industrial infrastructure, along with the looting of resources and equipment and the displacement of workers, has resulted in shortages and gaps in the production of essential goods in the country. She noted that the timing of this forum is crucial, and the ministry encourages such events to help find solutions and alternatives to improve investment in its various sectors.

Meanwhile, Northern State Governor Abideen Awadallah Mohammed reaffirmed the state's commitment to protecting investor rights and making investor satisfaction a key goal of its investment planning. He added that the security stability in Northern State is one of the main drivers of investment, given the state's numerous advantages, making it a major national economic center with the necessary foundations for industrial stability and cross-border trade.