Towards a Comprehensive Remedy for Imbalances in Export and Import Policies

Dr Ahmed Al-Sharif
News reached us two days ago that the Economic Committee of the Council of Ministers had convened to formulate policies to strengthen exports and to establish a timetable for doing so. Since the issue of exports involves other bodies besides the Ministry of Trade, these bodies must be included in both planning and implementation. Parties such as the Ministry of Finance, Customs, the Central Bank of Sudan, the Ministry of Agriculture, the private sector, and other security agencies are all, to varying degrees, concerned with the success of export policies.
Addressing the imbalances in export and import policies, which the Economic Committee may wish to take into account, requires comprehensive reforms. These include stabilising the exchange rate, combating smuggling and the shadow economy, and simplifying customs procedures and bureaucracy. Practical solutions should focus on strengthening the formal economy, diversifying exports, and developing digital platforms for data exchange among the relevant authorities. This is especially important given the challenges facing export and import policies as a result of the ongoing war and its impact on the export of key commodities such as sesame, groundnuts, oils, and gum arabic. There is also the problem of reliance on a single resource—gold—which has made the economy vulnerable to fluctuations in global prices.
Among the other obstacles facing exports are unreasonable fees and levies, which have imposed additional burdens on exporters and importers, leading many companies to withdraw from formal activity. Smuggling and the shadow economy are also major factors, as the spread of paper transactions, the leasing of commercial registrations, and speculation have weakened the formal economy. In addition, exchange-rate distortions have led to the erosion of the national currency’s value.
In short, the possible policy remedies require a combination of monetary reform, combating the shadow economy, and diversifying exports, while taking into account likely resistance from smuggling networks and speculators who benefit from the current situation. This is compounded by the ongoing war’s impact on infrastructure and productive capacity, as well as by weak coordination among government institutions, all of which may obstruct reform.

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