Sudan sets up panel to revive war-battered industrial zones in Khartoum

August 22, 2026 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s Ministry of Industry has established a high-level committee to rehabilitate damaged industrial zones in Khartoum State and help shuttered factories resume production, officials said on Saturday.

Sudan’s industrial sector has been devastated by heavy fighting, widespread looting, and vandalism since the outbreak of war between the military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

Ministry data shows about 1,800 industrial facilities have suffered damage, with 650 completely destroyed. The Federation of Industrial Chambers has estimated the sector’s financial losses at between $50 billion and $58 billion.

The Khartoum State Investment Promotion Commission said the new committee will assess the current state of industrial areas, survey closed manufacturing plants, and draft packages of incentives and regulatory facilities to encourage plant owners to reopen.

The committee’s mandate, created by a decree from Industry and Trade Minister Mahasin Ali Yagoub following talks with state investment commissioner Ihab Hashim, also involves addressing improper land use and clearing regulatory violations in commercial zones.

Officials said the panel will draft an infrastructure development plan to restore power grids, water networks, roads, sewage systems, and waste management services to industrial parks.

Reviving manufacturing in Khartoum is seen as a central pillar of broader efforts to restore domestic production and stabilize the country’s severely strained economy.