Riyadh – Sudanese official revealed that Sudan has allocated over one million acres for Saudi agricultural investment in Sudan designed to conform with Saudi Vision 2030 comprising 18 recommendations to invest in the country. He revealed that Sudan’s agricultural investment has a 40% growth.

Sudanese Secretary of State Osama Faisal expected the Saudi investments to increase 100% within the four upcoming years. He added that direct foreign investments in Sudan exceeded 42 billion dollars in 2015 and expected to reach an 8% increase during 2016.

Faisal explained that the current Saudi investments in Sudan exceeded 11 billion and another 11 billion expected in the upcoming four years. He added that there are about 6 billion dollars of projects that came within the four agreements signed by leaders of both countries in Riyadh. He stated that Saudi investors finally started investing in solar energy, education, tourism, health sector and food safety.

Faisal expected the investments to increase amid daily new investments throughout Sudan. “Saudi investors are most welcome like no other because of extended relations between both countries,” he said, assuring that investors will be welcomed and will receive all help needed for their investments to be successful. “I was assigned as a special advisor by the presidency to personally overlook the Saudi investments.”

Faisal added that this visit comes to shed more light on the investments’ plan and meeting with Saudi officials. He explained that the Saudi inclination is to focus on agriculture as part of Vision 2030. Faisal praised the role of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz and President Omar al-Bashir in uniting and strengthening the bond between the two countries.

Secretary Faisal elaborated on how he visited 80% of all projects in order to overcome the challenges facing them. Most of the projects have been very successful and thus they are planning to document them to be an example followed later on. He added that having fertile land without any conflict is a main issue to proceed with the plans.

Studies showed that there has been a 70% increase in the fruits-vegetables sector because of the high demand due to investments from all over the world including Arab and Gulf countries.

Faisal added that Sudan received huge investments from different countries including Brazil and Argentina. He explained that one of the challenges that used to face investors was the economic blockade which they have been working to overcome.