Abu Dhabi to develop 70000 acres in Sudan

June 6, 2008 (LONDON) — Amid growing interest from Middle Eastern states to invest in agriculture projects in Sudan to ensure food security, Abu Dhabi is planning to develop more than 70000 acres of land, the Financial Times reported.

Saudi Arabia and Egypt have also held talks with Sudan and are considering agricultural projects of their own in Africa’s largest nation, officials from those countries confirmed on Tuesday.

Abu Dhabi’s project in north Sudan is being led by the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, which has historically focused on providing poorer countries with soft loans for infrastructure projects.

The Sudan scheme is the first of its kind for the Abu Dhabi fund and it will be working in partnership with the Arab Authority for Agricultural Investment and Development (AAAID), a pan-Arab agency based in Khartoum.

Speaking to the Financial Times, the president of the World Bank Robert Zoellick said Saudi Arabia had asked the institution for help with plans to invest in agricultural projects abroad.

Egypt is considering a venture with Sudan in the Gezira scheme, an Egyptian official said, which was started by the British in the 1920s and was one of the world’s biggest irrigation projects.

(ST)