Finance Minister Discusses with IFAD Mission Ways to Develop the Country’s Agricultural Sector
Dr. Jibril Ibrahim, Minister of Finance, met today at the Ministry of Finance headquarters in Khartoum with a representative of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). The meeting discussed avenues of cooperation between the two sides and the possibility of the Fund’s contribution to implementing development projects and advancing the agricultural sector in Sudan, as well as assisting in the transition to recovery and reconstruction and achieving economic development in the country.
This came during his meeting with Dr. Nasr al-Din Haj al-Amin, an expert with the IFAD mission, a United Nations agency that focuses on developing the agricultural sector, particularly empowering small farmers, improving food security, and developing infrastructure and natural resources.
The Minister explained the government’s tireless efforts to find ضpractical solutions to the challenges facing the agricultural sector and the requirements of the economic recovery and reconstruction phase. He called on the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) to attract funding through international development and financing institutions to support both the plant and animal sectors of agriculture, contribute to solving energy problems and diversifying energy sources to reduce production costs, increase production and productivity, enhance storage capacities, and improve the livelihoods of various segments of society.
He emphasized the importance of field visits to agricultural projects in the River Nile and Northern states to promote productive projects and assess the actual needs of the agricultural sector in these states. He noted the ongoing efforts to strengthen partnerships between government agencies and all relevant stakeholders, and to coordinate among various entities to overcome any obstacles that might hinder the implementation of productive projects in different states. He expressed his hope that IFAD would exert further efforts to support the industrial sector to increase production, promote exports, and develop value chains. He also stressed the need for the IFAD mission to submit important and practical recommendations to the relevant authorities to provide the necessary support for implementing productive projects and advancing the agricultural sector in the country.
For his part, Dr. Nasr al-Din Haj al-Amin, representative of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) mission, affirmed his commitment to formulating and financing productive and developmental projects and to developing the agricultural sector in the country. He indicated the mission’s readiness to cooperate and coordinate to exert further efforts aimed at developing the agricultural sector and improving the economic situation in Sudan.
It is worth noting that the meeting was attended by Dr. Muhammad Ali Juma, Acting Undersecretary of the Ministry of Finance; Mr. Ibrahim Umda Khatir, Acting Director General of External Finance; representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Animal Resources, the Higher Council for the Environment, the IFAD Projects Coordination Unit, and several representatives from various departments within the Ministry of Finance.