August 14, 2008

Sudan wants $1 billion of funding from Arab and Asian investors for 17 agricultural projects, the Financial Times reported Wednesday (Aug 13, 2008).

Citing Abdalla Elhag Mohamed, director of external relations at the Investment Ministry, the newspaper said the funds would cover projects in northern Sudan spanning 880,000 hectares.

These projects would produce wheat, corn, fruits and vegetables.

Potential investors may come from China, India, Malaysia, South Africa, Brazil and Argentina, according to the newspaper.

Western Sudan houses the conflict-riven region of Darfur, and the government in 2006 signed a power-sharing agreement with insurgency groups in the East.

Agriculture is Sudan's most important sector, employing 80 percent of the workforce and contributing 38 percent of the country's GDP. A hydroelectric dam in the northern part of the country, said to be Africa's largest, was slated to be completed in 2008. The dam will provide electricity to 90 percent of the population.