IMF Meetings and Sudan’s Opportunities

Waleed Daleel
Sudan is participating in the Spring Meetings of the IMF and World Bank currently being held in Washington, D.C. (13–18 April 2026). The Minister of State leading the delegation at the Ministry of Finance is Mohamed Nour Abdel Daem. Sudan’s participation focuses on presenting a vision for economic reform to increase production and boost exports amid current challenges.
Sudan has defined what it hopes to achieve from these meetings in two main points: the reform vision and effective international engagement.

The Reform Vision:
The Sudanese delegation is presenting an economic recovery strategy centred on empowering the private sector and attracting investments into productive sectors.

International Engagement:
Utilising side meetings with international institutions to showcase investment opportunities and explore ways to bridge financing gaps resulting from the conflict.
Sudan’s vision is based on economic projections for 2026. The IMF has raised its forecast for Sudan’s economic growth to 3.2% (from a previous contraction), with a projected leap of up to 9.5% if the war ends.
The debt relief file is among the top priorities of the Sudanese delegation, which also includes the Central Bank of Sudan’s Governor. The developments can be summarised as follows:
Current Situation:
International aid and relief programmes under the HIPC (Heavily Indebted Poor Countries) initiative remain largely frozen by international institutions since October 2021, pending political stability and a civilian leadership recognised by Western countries.

Past Achievements:
Sudan previously met the requirements for the ‘Decision Point’ and received pledges for debt relief of up to $50 billion before the process was frozen.

Bilateral Moves:
Away from the IMF, China announced at the beginning of 2026 its intention to forgive Sudan’s interest-free loan debt of $45 million (345 million yuan).

Economic Development in Sudan
Financing Priorities: Sudan is seeking to refinance vital projects in the health, education, and humanitarian support sectors in cooperation with specialised international organisations.

Development Challenges: The war and regional conflicts have exacerbated the humanitarian crisis and food insecurity, making ‘transforming shocks into growth strategies’ a central focus of current discussions.
The most prominent themes and development projects on the agenda of discussions between the Sudanese delegation and the World Bank at the current Washington meetings are:
1. Support for Social and Humanitarian Sectors
The World Bank is currently focusing on pathways that ensure direct support reaches citizens despite political complexities. These include:
Social Safety Net Project: Discussing ways to restore and expand direct cash support programmes for the poorest families (such as the former ‘Thamarat’ programme but with new mechanisms).
Health Sector: Emergency financing to provide life-saving medicines and support the health system to cope with epidemics in conflict-affected areas.
2. Food Security and Agriculture
Given the acute food crisis, projects have been proposed aiming to:
Support Smallholder Farmers: Providing necessary financing for agricultural inputs (seeds and fertilisers) to ensure successful production seasons and reduce the food gap.
Develop Value Chains: Discussing projects to improve water harvesting and irrigation techniques to increase the productivity of strategic crops.
3. Emergency Infrastructure Projects
Electricity and Water Sector: Exploring opportunities to rehabilitate damaged water and electricity plants to ensure the continuation of essential services for civilians.
Digital Transformation: The World Bank presented visions to support the ‘digital economy’ in Sudan as a means to facilitate financial transactions and reduce reliance on paper currency under difficult circumstances.
4. Economic Empowerment and the Private Sector
Entrepreneurship: Discussing initiatives to support small and medium-sized enterprises, especially those led by women and youth, to create job opportunities and reduce high unemployment rates.
Improving the Investment Environment: The Sudanese delegation requested technical support to reform economic laws in line with international standards to attract foreign capital once conditions stabilise.
Although much of this financing remains tied to ‘political progress’, the World Bank has shown flexibility in dealing with ‘projects of direct humanitarian impact’ through UN agencies or international partners to ensure that basic development does not grind to a halt.
Based on current developments at the Washington meetings, the agriculture sector emerges as the top priority due to its direct link to food security, followed by health as an urgent humanitarian focus. Below are details of the observed financing and directions for each:
First: The Agriculture Sector (Economic Driver)
The World Bank and partner institutions are focusing on this sector to prevent widespread famine and to stimulate exports:
Observed Financing: Discussions are underway regarding allocating funds within the ‘Crisis Response Window’ to support production inputs.
Targeted Projects: Providing improved seeds and fertilisers to cultivate an additional two million feddans, focusing on safe states to ensure stable food supplies.
Technologies: Supporting water harvesting projects in rain-fed agricultural areas to increase productivity and reduce reliance on climatic conditions.

Second: The Health Sector (Emergency Support)
Health is being addressed through ‘trust funds’, often managed via international partners such as WHO and UNICEF:
Financing Details: Emergency budgets have been proposed to rehabilitate essential health facilities and provide vaccines.
Priorities: Focusing on maternal and child health services and providing essential medicines in displacement centres.
Linkage Projects: Supporting the digitalisation of health data to ensure fair distribution of limited medical supplies.

Third: The Energy Sector (Electricity)
There is particular interest in financing solar energy for agricultural projects and hospitals:
The aim is to reduce reliance on conventional fuel and centralised power stations that have been damaged during the conflict, thereby providing sustainable services in rural areas.
Important Note:
Most of this financing is currently being directed under the heading of ’emergency grants’ rather than loans, to avoid adding to Sudan’s debt burden given the stalled HIPC debt relief programme.
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