Green and Yellow Gold: A Strategy for Steering the Sudanese Economy Towards the Prospects of Sustainable Renaissance

Dr Mohamed Awad Mohamed Metwally

The Sudanese economy, in its current phase, faces complex structural challenges that require the formulation of a comprehensive macroeconomic vision—one that goes beyond partial remedies and short-term fixes and instead advances an integrated strategy that places exports at the core of the growth engine. The philosophy of the desired economic transformation is fundamentally based on maximising the added value of national resources and on restructuring foreign trade policies to ensure a balanced trade account and exchange rate stability.

This can only be achieved through a rigorous scientific methodology that analyses latent capacities and transforms them into tangible investment opportunities, supported by a precise, time-bound implementation matrix. This approach begins by restructuring export policies, shifting from raw-material exports to value-added processing and manufacturing.

Sudan possesses substantial comparative advantages in agriculture and livestock. However, the continued export of commodities such as sesame, gum arabic, and livestock in their raw form deprives the country of approximately 70% of their global market value. Accordingly, effective policy requires establishing export-processing zones near production sites, supported by tax and customs incentives linked to foreign currency returns, alongside activating trade finance mechanisms to ensure continuity for producers and exporters. In the short term (6–12 months), this entails implementing a single-window system to streamline procedures and reduce administrative costs. In the medium term (1–3 years), it requires establishing industrial clusters for meat processing and edible oil production. In the long term, the goal is to penetrate global markets with fully manufactured Sudanese brands that meet international quality standards.

With regard to the gold sector—currently the backbone of exports—the strategy necessitates transforming gold from a mere barter commodity into a strategic reserve that strengthens the national currency. In the short term, this involves eliminating multiple taxes and levies imposed on traditional producers to ensure gold flows through official channels. In the medium term, it requires completing a digital geological database and attracting major international mining companies. In the long term, the objective is to establish a Sudan Gold Exchange as a regional hub for pricing and trading the precious metal, alongside fully localising refining and fabrication industries to maximise value.

As for import policies, an integrated approach requires adopting selective import rationalisation. In the short term, this includes creating a negative list of non-essential or luxury goods and raising customs duties on them, while simultaneously facilitating the import of agricultural inputs and machinery. In the medium term, efforts should focus on import substitution by supporting small- and medium-sized local industries. In the long term, the aim is to achieve self-sufficiency in strategic goods such as wheat, sugar, and pharmaceuticals.

The development of these opportunities depends on building a comprehensive logistics and digital trade system. Sudan’s geographical location positions it as both a land and maritime gateway for landlocked countries, opening the door to transit trade as an invisible export. In the short term, this requires rehabilitating port and railway infrastructure. In the medium term, it involves activating cross-border free zones. In the long term, it calls for establishing strategic partnerships with major blocs, such as China, Russia, and the BRICS, to ensure the flow of high-quality investments in energy and smart infrastructure.

To translate this vision into a tangible reality, ten precise policy recommendations are proposed:

Establish a Supreme Council for Exports under sovereign leadership to unify economic decision-making and prevent overlapping mandates.
Enact a “Localisation of Agro-Industrialisation” law prohibiting the export of more than 40% of sesame and groundnuts in raw form in the initial phase, to be implemented by the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

Launch the “Sudan Gold for the Central Bank” initiative, whereby gold from artisanal mining is purchased at global market prices minus refining costs, implemented by the Central Bank of Sudan.

Establish a National Production Financing Fund providing zero-interest loans to export-oriented farmers and manufacturers, funded by the Ministry of Finance with contributions from commercial banks.

Activate economic diplomacy through trade attachés to open new markets in Asia and Europe and promote Sudanese products, implemented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Impose a high “luxury consumption tax” on non-essential imported goods, with revenues directed towards supporting production inputs, implemented by the Customs Authority.

Launch the “Sudan Logistics” digital platform to connect ports, airports, and customs offices through a unified tracking system, implemented by the Ministries of Transport and Communications.

Review and update free trade agreements with COMESA and the African Continental Free Trade Area to ensure protection of emerging industries, implemented by the Ministries of Justice and Trade.

Establish a Geological Information Bank accessible to investors via subscription, ensuring transparency in mining opportunities, implemented by the Ministry of Minerals.

Allocate 5% of gold and export revenues to fund scientific research and industrial development centres, implemented by the Ministry of Higher Education in cooperation with specialised research institutions.

In conclusion, Sudan’s transition from crisis to renaissance is not a matter of aspiration but the inevitable result of implementing this comprehensive scientific framework that harmonises resource potential with precise planning. The green gold of our fields and the yellow gold beneath our land represent the two wings that can elevate the national economy—provided there is firm political will and strong institutional foundations that prioritise production and combat waste.

We stand before a historic opportunity to redefine the national economic contract, transforming Sudan from an underutilised breadbasket into a global industrial kitchen and a reliable international mining hub. In doing so, the national economy can become a robust shield against volatility, a driver of social prosperity, and a beacon of sustainable development for future generations in a stable and dignified nation.
A

ssociate Economic Expert, Centre for Development Studies and Crisis Analysis

Shortlink: https://sudanhorizon.com/?p=12571