Finance Consultant Calls for Rehabilitating Microfinance Institutions to Help Combat Poverty

Sudanhorizon – Hala Hamza

Numan Yousef Mohammed, an institutional development consultant and microfinance expert, has emphasized the importance of microfinance as a mechanism for combating poverty in the Sudan.

Numan stated that microfinance is a promising tool if used effectively as a partial solution to the problem, provided that its institutions are rehabilitated and its financing systems are modernized to align with the post-war reality.

Numan called for moving microfinance beyond the framework of “small loans” to the concept of productive community financing that supports agricultural, artisanal, and service value chains, and revives the spirit of entrepreneurship in local communities.

He explained that directing social responsibility funds towards productive projects, as indicated by the Minister of Human Resources, is a step worthy of support, provided it is integrated with the efforts of the government and international organizations.

This is because these funds are inherently limited and cannot replace public policies and national support programs. He said that the minister’s statements represent a genuine warning sign, requiring a shift from description to planning and action.

Sudan today needs a national plan to combat poverty based on accurate data, mobilizing state resources and international partners towards a single goal: reviving production, building effective social safety nets, and expanding opportunities for decent work.

Numan added that the poverty rate reaching 70%, with nearly 23 million citizens now living below the poverty line, as announced by the Minister of Human Resources and Social Welfare, carries shocking implications regarding the extent of the economic and living standards decline the country is experiencing.

He noted that the minister explicitly acknowledged the depth of the economic crisis facing Sudanese citizens, which is a necessary step to initiate any genuine reform.

Numan reiterated the importance of basing these estimates on accurate statistical data issued by the Central Bureau of Statistics or specialized research institutions, so that the figures serve as a scientific and objective reference upon which policies can be built, rather than mere estimated indicators. He described poverty as a complex phenomenon requiring a comprehensive approach, arguing that the high poverty rates in Sudan cannot be attributed solely to the current war, despite its profound effects. Rather, they are the result of years of unstable policies, declining production, and a weak social safety net.

The expert explained that addressing poverty requires an integrated economic vision that combines stimulating productive sectors, reforming fiscal policies, and empowering vulnerable groups through sustainable, not provisional , support programs.

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