Sudanese Finance Minister Criticizes IDB Group

Al-Madina – Sudanhorizon
The Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Dr. Jibril Ibrahim, has criticized the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) Group for its weak humanitarian response to the situation in Sudan, currently suffering from war and its repercussions on the population.
In his statement before the IDB Consultative Meeting of Governors devoted to discussion of the bank’s strategy for the period 2026-2035, held (Sunday) in Al-Madinah, Saudi Arabia, Dr Jibril Ibrahim was critical of the e bank for suspending the funding of vital projects in Sudan in the fields of health, education and water, citing arrears issue. However, the minister referred to the bank’s previous support and backing for Sudan, stressing the need for understanding the reality of countries experiencing exceptional circumstances.
The minister has stressed the need to pay special attention to achieving the sustainable development goals in member states to avoid leaving some behind; in addition to paying attention to small and medium-sized projects that create job opportunities, contribute to reducing unemployment and help achieve economic security in the group’s member states.
The Minister pointed out to the need for paying attention to infrastructure projects that help increase trade exchange between member states, citing the example of the Port Sudan-Dakar railway project, which was approved by the group at its annual meeting 2021-2023.
The Minister expressed his hope that the Bank would send a working group to assess the infrastructure destruction and adopt the call to rebuild Sudan after the end of the war which, he said, would end soon.
The Minister has called for the strategy to focus on digital transformation and artificial intelligence and for the group’s countries to keep pace with global developments in its field, in addition to paying attention to investing in clean energy, addressing the deficit and anticipating the negative effects of climate change.
He argued that special attention must be paid to the conditions of fragile countries suffering from conflicts by building an effective strategy for humanitarian response and providing sufficient resources to the Islamic Solidarity Fund to finance these countries.
The Minister stressed the importance of finding a mechanism to address the arrears of member states undergoing exceptional circumstances so that their projects funded by the Bank Group are not disrupted.