Saudi Arabia to Expand Investments in Sudan

A general view shows Sudanese people and traffic along a street in Khartoum, Sudan. Reuters file photo
A general view shows Sudanese people and traffic along a street in Khartoum, Sudan. Reuters file photo
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Saudi Arabia to Expand Investments in Sudan

A general view shows Sudanese people and traffic along a street in Khartoum, Sudan. Reuters file photo
A general view shows Sudanese people and traffic along a street in Khartoum, Sudan. Reuters file photo

The Saudi Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Abdurrahman bin Abdulmohsen has confirmed the Kingdom’s desire to cooperate and boost trade, economic and development relations with Sudan.

Sudan’s official economic sector, during the Saudi-Sudanese Investment Forum which kicked off in Khartoum on Sunday, proposed six main areas viable for Saudi investments. They included energy, electricity, mining, transport and communication, fishery, and railways sectors.

The Sudanese government has worked to remove all difficulties facing foreign investors with its investment ministry making great strides in unifying investment procedures through the establishment of a single window.

The Sudanese government was seeking to promote investment and encourage the private sector in a bid to establish an infrastructure that is conducive to attracting foreign investments.

Abdulmohsen expressed Saudi Arabia’s readiness to enhance economic and commercial ties and investment with Sudan in a manner that benefits both countries.

He referred to directives by the Saudi government to discuss investment opportunities in Sudan in the fields of energy, infrastructure, agriculture, and telecommunication.

Sudanese Agriculture Minister Eltahir Harbi reaffirmed that Saudi Arabia has given his country great support during the transition period it is currently undergoing. The Kingdom has also contributed to removing Sudan off the list of state sponsors of terrorism and lifting it from economic isolation.

Saudi Arabia has also helped Sudan get a loan of $3 billion.

Harbi stressed that Saudi investments in Sudan are thriving, especially in the areas of rain-fed agriculture, animal production and forestry.

He pointed out that the forum contributes to strengthening relations to help expand investment and development cooperation between the two countries.

According to Harbi, this has helped the governments of the two countries respond to the needs of the region and neighboring markets considering food shortages, climate change factors, and the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.



US, Chinese Officials Start Geneva Talks on Easing Trade War

 US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, listens to the speeches, during a bilateral meeting between Switzerland and the United States, in Geneva, Switzerland, on Friday, May 9, 2025. (Martial Trezzini/Keystone via AP)
US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, listens to the speeches, during a bilateral meeting between Switzerland and the United States, in Geneva, Switzerland, on Friday, May 9, 2025. (Martial Trezzini/Keystone via AP)
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US, Chinese Officials Start Geneva Talks on Easing Trade War

 US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, listens to the speeches, during a bilateral meeting between Switzerland and the United States, in Geneva, Switzerland, on Friday, May 9, 2025. (Martial Trezzini/Keystone via AP)
US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, listens to the speeches, during a bilateral meeting between Switzerland and the United States, in Geneva, Switzerland, on Friday, May 9, 2025. (Martial Trezzini/Keystone via AP)

China's vice premier He Lipeng held talks with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent early on Saturday in Geneva in a tentative first step towards defusing a trade war that is disrupting the global economy, according to China's state-owned news agency and two people close to the talks.
Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer were due to meet He in Geneva after weeks of growing tensions that have seen duties on goods imports between the world's two largest economies soar well beyond 100%.
The trade dispute, combined with US President Donald Trump's decision last month to impose duties on dozens of other countries, has disrupted supply chains, unsettled financial markets and stoked fears of a sharp global downturn.
US President Donald Trump said on Friday an 80% tariff on Chinese goods "seems right," suggesting for the first time a specific alternative to the 145% levies imposed on Chinese imports.
The location of the talks has been kept secret, although a witness saw over a dozen police cars outside a private residence in a leafy Geneva suburb.
Mercedes vans with tinted windows were seen leaving a Geneva hotel where the Chinese delegation was staying on the banks of Lake Geneva.
Earlier, a delegation of over a dozen US officials, including Bessent and Greer, were seen smiling and wearing red ties and American flags on their lapels as they left their hotel. Bessent declined to speak to reporters.