Khartoum- The World Bank has granted Sudan $5 million to enhance financial policies through a new project in different Sudanese governorates.
The grant aims at achieving transparency and reduce financial corruption in five governorates selected for the implementation of the project.
Following the contract’s signature, Former Lieutenant General Mohamed Othman Rukabi, the minister of finance, said the new project will make a significant improvement in Sudan’s economy, enhance monetary transactions among governorates, and ensure the budget’s transparency, which reduces the chances of corruption.
Rukabi announced that his government will implement appropriate and transparent policies by providing the institutional support in economic governance.
For his part, Xavier Furtado, the World Bank Country representative to Sudan, highlighted the continuing cooperation with Sudan.
He said the bank has financed many projects with over $140 million spent on education, building capacities in budget management, environment, and natural resources.
Mekki Mirghani, coordinator of the project, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the quantitative goals of the project are to increase expenditures on poverty-related programs by 60 to 70 percent and to reduce the dependency on grants by 25 percent.
He explained that the program will cover the training of around 4,200 workers and employees from the selected governorates in the fields of revenues, planning, project management, interior review, and risk-based review.
The three-year program will include the management and mechanisms of public funds monitoring at legislative bodies especially in assessing and analyzing revenues, and special programs targeting funders to raise fiscal awareness.
In the same context, as part of economic preparations for the US to fully lift sanctions imposed on the country next month, Minister of International Cooperation Idris Suleiman met Ambassador Jean-Michel Dumond, head of the Delegation of the European Union to Sudan. They discussed many issues of mutual interest and how to develop them.
Dumond announced that the union will maintain its support for capacity-building projects, coordinate with donors and development companies worldwide, and provide more assistance especially that Sudan is about to start a new phase of international economic openness on July 12.
The EU Representative said Sudan saw remarkable improvement after the partial lift of sanctions in January, and called for the facilitation of project execution in the selected governorates. He also stressed the importance of partnerships between the Sudanese government’s plans and the EU development program.
The diplomat revealed that European support for Sudan has reached 250 million euros, through international organizations, UN agencies, and local organizations along with projects of regional integration with neighboring countries.