Sudan’s 2019 Budget Keeps Subsidies, Fights Corruption

Customers look on as a vender displays fresh produce in Khartoum, Sudan December 2, 2016. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah
Customers look on as a vender displays fresh produce in Khartoum, Sudan December 2, 2016. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah
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Sudan’s 2019 Budget Keeps Subsidies, Fights Corruption

Customers look on as a vender displays fresh produce in Khartoum, Sudan December 2, 2016. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah
Customers look on as a vender displays fresh produce in Khartoum, Sudan December 2, 2016. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah

Sudan’s government has adopted its 2019 state budget as the country reeled from fresh protests over the rising cost of bread.

The new budget kept subsidies on basic commodities and for the first time included a clause on fighting corruption.

Chairman of the The Sudanese Transparency Organization (STO) Al-Tayeb Mukhtar welcomed the allocation of 1.13 million dollars to eliminate corruption.

He said that according to the United Nations, the state and the government should fund and help the parties combating corruption, whether they are state institutions or representatives of civil society.

The budget was adopted on Thursday as Sudan’s economy struggles under the burden of a climbing inflation and deadly protests that were sparked this week when the government decided to raise the price of a loaf of bread from one Sudanese pound to three (from about two to six US cents).

While not adding new taxes or tariffs in the new budget, the government removed many of the waivers granted to investors and importers. It forecast a 39 percent growth in revenues, reaching 3.43 billion dollars, and a drop from 3.7 to 3.3 percent in deficit.

Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Motazz Moussa told the parliament in a statement that the budget forecast a 5.1 percent economic growth and that subsidies would reach around 1.4 billion dollars, including 53 million dollars for bread and gas.

In an attempt to fight inflation, he also urged local authorities to allow vendors to sell their groceries and other products on their carts without imposing any fees on them.



EUROPE GAS-Prices Continue to Decline

Model of natural gas pipeline and Gazprom logo, July 18, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
Model of natural gas pipeline and Gazprom logo, July 18, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
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EUROPE GAS-Prices Continue to Decline

Model of natural gas pipeline and Gazprom logo, July 18, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
Model of natural gas pipeline and Gazprom logo, July 18, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

Dutch and British wholesale gas prices continued to declined on Tuesday morning on milder weather forecasts for next week, high wind speeds and stable supply.

The benchmark front-month contract at the Dutch TTF hub was down 0.61 euros at 46.65 euros per megawatt hour (MWh) at 0947 GMT, according to LSEG data.

The contract for March was down 0.52 euro at 46.63 euros/MWh.

In Britain, the front-month contract fell by 2.04 pence to 116.76 pence per therm.

In north-west Europe, although another cold snap is forecast from Friday over the weekend, the latest forecasts are showing milder temperatures than yesterday from Jan. 15, according to LSEG data, Reuters reported.

Wind speeds are expected to remain quite strong today, limiting gas demand.

However, in north-west Europe, gas-for-power demand is expected 36 million cubic metres (mcm) per day higher at 78 mcm/day on the day-ahead.

"Wind speeds are expected still high today, before dropping sharply tomorrow with the cold spell arriving," said LSEG gas analyst Saku Jussila.

In Britain, Peak wind generation is forecast at around 15.1 gigawatts (GW) today and 14.7 GW tomorrow, Elexon data showed.

Analysts at Engie EnergyScan said EU net storage withdrawals have slowed due to a more comfortable spot balance but the storage gap compared to last year remains high. On 5 January, EU gas stocks were 69.94% full on average, compared to 84.96% last year.

Looking further ahead, analysts at Jefferies expect a tight year for global gas markets due to project delays and higher-than-expected demand.

"European and Asian LNG spot gas prices in 2025 could surpass those of 2024, driven by Europe's increased gas injection needs and the loss of Russian exports outpacing the expected growth in global LNG supply," they said.

"Post 2025, the market is expected to loosen with an additional 175 million tonnes of new supply coming online between 2026 and 2030, primarily from the US and Qatar," they added.

In the European carbon market, the benchmark contract was down 0.91 euro at 73.45 euros a metric ton.