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term period. The African Development Bank Group estimates that the total public and private
investments in infrastructure in the Moderate Growth scenario would increase from 2.3% of
non-oil GDP in 2012 to 3.7% in 2018 and then decline steadily to only 2% of non-oil GDP by
2030 (AfDB, 2016: 173). The African Development Bank estimates that to fill the infrastructure
financing gap, investments in the sector have to triple and increase to 7-8% of GDP in Sudan
(AfDB 2016: 143, 173)
4.5.3. National Level Policies and Framework of Infrastructure Development
Over the past decades, Sudan’s economy has been, exposed to numerous shocks and
consequently instabilities in its economic growth. The most recent one was the separation of
South Sudan in 2011 which has resulted in the loss of 75% of the former Sudan’s oil output.
The Government has formulated plans to achieve economic diversification and create new
revenue sources such as escalating the remaining oil and gas production, gold mining, and
agricultural production (ALN, 2015).
The weak competence of the state Government institutions, together with the inadequate
infrastructure base has reduced the government’s capability to articulate and execute efficient
macroeconomic improvements and stable economic policies. This situation has had negative
impacts on infrastructure development and economic diversification (UNDP, 2013).
The National Conference for Economic Salvation (NCES) of 1989 recommended the foundation
of a High State Committee to evaluate the performance of the State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs)
and create certain policies, procedures, and road maps to reform them and improve their
performances. The NCWS has also asked the state government to not get involved in
controlling economic activities as a prerequisite cornerstone for privatization and economic
liberalization. The implementation of the Comprehensive National Strategy for Economic
Development (CNSFED) in 1992 included a strict stabilization program and the control of
public expenditures. It privatized the telecommunications sector and some of the SOEs,
including some government banks and financial institutions, and floated the exchange rate
(AfDB, 2016).
Infrastructure development has been a key element of Sudan’s National Strategic Plan and the
Five-Year Plans. During the First Five-Year Plan (2007-2011), Sudan invested SDG 5.4 billion in
infrastructure development as total government spending on infrastructure which was 27% of
the total government expenditure. Transportation, water supply and sanitation, electricity, and
communication networks were the main fields. Nevertheless, the whole country’s
infrastructure development needs exceeded the government’s budget capacity. After the
secession of South Sudan in 2011 and the decrease in oil revenues, the government started
having deficits in budget beginning in 2012. The deficit was SDG 4.4 billion in 2014 (Yesuf,
2017) and reached SDG 14.3 million in 2017 (CBOS, 2017).
As a part of the Sudan Strategy (2007 - 2032), the Five-Year Program for Economic Reform
(2015-2019) was launched under the slogan ‘Production for export and improved standard of
living’. The five-year program includes infrastructure development as one of the building
blocks of the program. The program aims to rehabilitate and expand infrastructure with a
particular focus on electricity, railway, irrigation, as well as the completion of existing roads,
bridges and subways that connect the production areas with local markets and export outlets
for global markets (MFNE, 2015).