Sudan’s White Nile Sugar Co. signs agreement with General Electric
November 3, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – The White Nile Sugar Company (WNSCO) announced on Sunday that it has signed an agreement with the US-based General Electric (GE) by which it will receive parts and services for its billion dollar sugar plant.
In a press release, WNSCO said that GE received clearance from the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) which enforces the decade-long sanctions imposed by the US on Sudan.
The sugar company said that GE will compensate it for the losses it incurred last year over the failure to deliver the main software needed to operate the plant citing US sanctions.
This forced WNSCO to seek a last minute postponement of the widely publicized inauguration which was to be attended by Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir and many high-profile guests.
Sudanese officials and managers overseeing the project at the time said they were unaware that the company was recently bought out by GE which is required to comply with US sanctions and bar the software.
The Financial Times reported last year that the issue was resolved after OFAC granted a one-time exemption.
As part of the agreement, GE will supply additional spare parts to operate the plant for a period of four consecutive years without charge.
The statement added that this deal will enable WNSCO to achieve its goal of completing the project components in accordance with international standards that have been developed within the implementation plan.
It further said that this will pave the way for other mega-projects in Sudan to obtain advanced technologies from US companies known for their efficiency and excellence.
Washington imposed economic and trade sanctions on Sudan in 1997 in response to its alleged connection to terror networks and human rights abuses. In 2007 it strengthened the embargo, citing abuses in Darfur which it labeled as genocide.
In 2010 however, the US announced it was easing sanctions on agriculture equipment and services which allowed half a dozen companies to obtain export licenses.
Sudan is also on the US list of states that sponsor terrorism since 1993 even though the two countries have strengthened their counterterrorism cooperation since September 2001 attacks on Washington and New York.
(ST)