State governors call to reform mining policies in Sudan
June 1, 2022 (KHARTOUM) – The governors of the gold-producing states called to reform mining policies saying that aid the Ministry of Minerals and its company have failed to fulfil their financial obligations and interfered in their competencies.
On Wednesday, the Ministry of Federal Government Buthaina Dinar held a meeting with state governors to discuss mining problems and the overlap of administrative competencies between the Ministry of Minerals and state governments.
According to the official Sudan News Agency, the governors criticsed the management of revenue generated in the gold sector. Also, they complained about their interference in the land allocation for mining purposes.
The governors described the Sudanese Mineral Resources Company (SMRC) “as a state within a stat,” said the official agency.
The Governor of the Red Sea State, Ali Adrob, said that his state is the first producing state of minerals and owns 60% of the gold production in Sudan, but it does not get its rights and does not benefit fully from the gold resources.
“The Sudanese Mineral Resources Company has erected itself a government within a government and a state within a state,” said Mohamed Abdel Rahman, Gedaref.
Abdel Raman added that the SMRC deployed its delegates in the mining areas as if they were governors.
He further called to review its role in the distribution of the gold revenue and mining policies.
The Company is tasked with the collection of gold generated funds and redistribution of the state shares directly.
Officials in the former civilian government criticised the continuation of the same policies of the former regime allowing public entities to manage money out of the control and supervision of the finance ministry.
In the same vein, the governors of North Darfur, River Nile, Sennar, South Kordofan and North Kordofan states called to review the SMRC role and reconsider mining policies.
Established in 2014, the SMRC is tasked with oversighting mining resources and monitoring of the activities of the sector.
(ST)