Sudan offers UAE’s companies $59 billion investment opportunities
May 15, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s minister of investment, Mustafa Osman Ismail, said they offered $59 billion worth of investment projects to businessmen from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
More than 300 Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) and businessmen from the two countries have participated in the UAE-Sudan Investment Forum which concluded on Wednesday at Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ADCCI).
The governors of Khartoum, Northern and the River Nile states have presented during the forum the investment opportunities in their states.
The governor of Khartoum state, Abdel-Rahman al-Khidir, offered a 200 million meters free trade zone besides more than 170 pivot agricultural irrigation projects.
Al-Hadi Abdalla, governor of the River Nile state, presented investment opportunities in refractory bricks besides agricultural and infrastructure projects.
While the governor of the Northern state, Ibrahim al-Khidir, offered wheat production projects besides transforming Merowe airport into a free trade zone including 6 million acres to build packing and refrigerating factories, banks and other projects.
Sudan’s ambassador to the UAE, Ahmed Youssef al-Sidiq, said during the forum that trade exchange between the UAE and Sudan recorded $2.6 billion in 2014, mainly driven by larger exports of gold to the UAE.
The figure indicates a rise of 63% from 2013 when the two-way trade between the two Arab nations stood at $1.6 billion.
Ismail said the investment opportunities offered to the UAE’s businessmen amounted to $59 million, pointing that several agreements has been signed with the ADCCI including a deal on the slaughterhouses.
He revealed that a technical delegation from the Mubadarat (initiatives) group will arrive in Khartoum next week to prepare the necessary studies for the solar and wind energies production project.
The Sudanese minister called on UAE’s companies to promote their investments in Sudan, vowing to offer all incentives and facilitation for the success of those investments.
The head of the ADCCI, Mohamed Hilal al-Muhairi, praised the success of the forum, noting it was an extremely important event to learn about investment opportunities in Sudan.
‘ST)