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Sudan Launches Program to Protect Private Sector Employees from Corruption

A customer receives money from a teller inside the Bank of Khartoum, in Khartoum, Sudan. (Reuters)
A customer receives money from a teller inside the Bank of Khartoum, in Khartoum, Sudan. (Reuters)
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Sudan Launches Program to Protect Private Sector Employees from Corruption

A customer receives money from a teller inside the Bank of Khartoum, in Khartoum, Sudan. (Reuters)
A customer receives money from a teller inside the Bank of Khartoum, in Khartoum, Sudan. (Reuters)

Khartoum announced preparations to launch a counter-corruption program next April, which will vet Sudan’s private sector employees, estimated at about 75,000.

“This program will enable employees to become familiar with the management program used by companies around the world to assess internal fraud, corruption risks and external fraud,” said Sudan’s Al-Oula Center for Accounting Studies Director Adelah Mohammed Al-Tayeb.

The US Chamber of Commerce, during negotiations with Sudan in October, said that the implementation of the anti-corruption program will be the basis for trade between both private sectors and is vital for lifting sanctions.

The Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) oversees the anti-corruption program, as the US aims to ensure that the program is built in every country where it has commercial interests thereby ensuring that its trade partners have the ability to fight and prevent corruption.

Tayeb pointed out that the first phase of the program in Sudan will include the implementation of a technical survey of all employees in Sudanese companies and jobs listed in official state records.

The survey will cover 250 companies.

Sudanese banking sources said that most fraud risks and crimes, especially those which are financial, can be traced back to employees.

The risk of financial fraud is only possible through the falsification of documents, checks, counterfeiting, burglary and systems penetration to obtain the passwords of customer accounts.

“The concept of corruption is not limited to acts such as fraud and embezzlement. But greater efforts must be made to combat other forms of corruption, such as exploitation of status, conflict of interest, or financing private projects from public funds," said the journalist.

Head of the anti-corruption agency in Sudan, Al-Tayeb Mukhtar said that his country is currently preparing to complete the anti-corruption plan, which was approved by the Sudanese parliament several years ago.

One of the first steps in the fight against corruption in Sudan is establishing independent police prosecution.

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Oil Prices Steady as Markets Weigh Demand against US Inventories

FILE - Pump jacks extract oil from beneath the ground in North Dakota, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)
FILE - Pump jacks extract oil from beneath the ground in North Dakota, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)
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Oil Prices Steady as Markets Weigh Demand against US Inventories

FILE - Pump jacks extract oil from beneath the ground in North Dakota, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)
FILE - Pump jacks extract oil from beneath the ground in North Dakota, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)

Oil prices were little changed on Thursday as investors weighed firm winter fuel demand expectations against large US fuel inventories and macroeconomic concerns.

Brent crude futures were down 3 cents at $76.13 a barrel by 1003 GMT. US West Texas Intermediate crude futures dipped 10 cents to $73.22.

Both benchmarks fell more than 1% on Wednesday as a stronger dollar and a bigger than expected rise in US fuel stockpiles pressured prices.

"The oil market is still grappling with opposite forces - seasonal demand to support the bulls and macro data that supports a stronger US dollar in the medium term ... that can put a ceiling to prevent the bulls from advancing further," said OANDA senior market analyst Kelvin Wong.

JPMorgan analysts expect oil demand for January to expand by 1.4 million barrels per day (bpd) year on year to 101.4 million bpd, primarily driven by increased use of heating fuels in the Northern Hemisphere.

"Global oil demand is expected to remain strong throughout January, fuelled by colder than normal winter conditions that are boosting heating fuel consumption, as well as an earlier onset of travel activities in China for the Lunar New Year holidays," the analysts said.

The market structure in Brent futures is also indicating that traders are becoming more concerned about supply tightening at the same time demand is increasing.

The premium of the front-month Brent contract over the six-month contract reached its widest since August on Wednesday. A widening of this backwardation, when futures for prompt delivery are higher than for later delivery, typically indicates that supply is declining or demand is increasing.

Nevertheless, official Energy Information Administration (EIA) data showed rising gasoline and distillates stockpiles in the United States last week.

The dollar strengthened further on Thursday, underpinned by rising Treasury yields ahead of US President-elect Donald Trump's entrance into the White House on Jan. 20.

Looking ahead, WTI crude oil is expected to oscillate within a range of $67.55 to $77.95 into February as the market awaits more clarity on Trump's administration policies and fresh fiscal stimulus measures out of China, OANDA's Wong said.