Sudan Raises Minimum Wages

Sudanese line up to get fuel outside a petrol station in the capital, Khartoum (AFP)
Sudanese line up to get fuel outside a petrol station in the capital, Khartoum (AFP)
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Sudan Raises Minimum Wages

Sudanese line up to get fuel outside a petrol station in the capital, Khartoum (AFP)
Sudanese line up to get fuel outside a petrol station in the capital, Khartoum (AFP)

The Sudanese Ministry of Finance announced raising the minimum wage for civil servants to SDG 3,000 (almost $150) following a three-day strike launched by railway workers.

Railroad workers in Atbara, a northern Sudanese city, and bus drivers throughout the country had carried out a strike since last Saturday to protest low wages.

The strike sapped supplies en route to the capital Khartoum, resulting in a shortage of food supplies and oil byproducts.

On Tuesday, the demonstrators lifted the strike and went back to running national transportation.

Hashem bin Auf, Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, confirmed that the Ministry of Finance raised the minimum wage for civil servants to SDG 3,000.

Auf, in a visit to Atbara, informed those on strike of the decision taken by the ministry of finance.

Addressing demonstrators, Auf admitted that the situation they were under was unacceptable, however, he accused the deep state and former regime loyalists of seeking to fail the transitional government.

Also, Bus drivers at Khartoum’s regional bus station carried out a strike on Sunday, calling for better pay and services. The strike caused thousands of travelers to cancel their trip to and from Khartoum.

Others profited from the strike. Tickets to Kassala, New Halfa, and El Gedaref in eastern Sudan rose to SDG 1,800.

The striking bus drivers demand salaries, financial incentives, management committees for union work, health insurance, social security and fuel control at petrol stations. They also decry withdrawals of their driving licenses, fines, and a large number of levies they have to pay on the roads.



IMF Trims 2025 Middle East, North Africa Growth Forecast

Jihad Azour, Director of International Monetary Fund Middle East and Central Asia Department, speaks during a press conference at the 2025 annual IMF/World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington, D.C., US, April 24, 2025. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz
Jihad Azour, Director of International Monetary Fund Middle East and Central Asia Department, speaks during a press conference at the 2025 annual IMF/World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington, D.C., US, April 24, 2025. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz
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IMF Trims 2025 Middle East, North Africa Growth Forecast

Jihad Azour, Director of International Monetary Fund Middle East and Central Asia Department, speaks during a press conference at the 2025 annual IMF/World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington, D.C., US, April 24, 2025. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz
Jihad Azour, Director of International Monetary Fund Middle East and Central Asia Department, speaks during a press conference at the 2025 annual IMF/World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington, D.C., US, April 24, 2025. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz

The International Monetary Fund said on Thursday it now expects Middle East and North Africa economies to grow by just 2.6% in 2025 as uncertainties stemming from a global trade war and weaker oil prices weigh on the region.
The fresh projection marked a sharp downgrade from its October projection of 4% growth and comes as the region grapples with geopolitical tensions, softer external demand and oil market volatility.
"Uncertainty could impact the real economy, consumption, investment... all these elements led to a softening of our projections," Jihad Azour, the IMF's director for the Middle East and Central Asia department, told Reuters in an interview.
"The direct impact of the tariff measures is limited because the integration in terms of trade between the region and the US is limited."
"The ongoing conflicts in the MENA region have inflicted profound humanitarian costs and left deep economic scars," the IMF said in the report, adding that the impact has been severe for the region's oil importing economies.
The MENA non-oil importers are now expected to see real GDP growth of 3.4% in 2025, versus an earlier forecast of 3.6%.

Growth among non-Gulf Cooperation Council oil exporters is expected to slow by one percentage point in 2025 - a sharp downward revision - before staging a modest recovery in 2026.
On the other hand, GCC economies are projected to strengthen, though at a slower pace than anticipated in October.
IMF projects GCC's GDP growth for 2025 at 3%, down from its October forecast of a 4.2% increase.