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Sudan Reaps Benefits of Decision to Lift Sanctions

Workers prepare a train at Sudan Railway maintenance complex in Khartoum. Reuters
Workers prepare a train at Sudan Railway maintenance complex in Khartoum. Reuters
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Sudan Reaps Benefits of Decision to Lift Sanctions

Workers prepare a train at Sudan Railway maintenance complex in Khartoum. Reuters
Workers prepare a train at Sudan Railway maintenance complex in Khartoum. Reuters

The US Treasury Department lifted the ban on more than 223 companies, institutions, banks and Sudanese public and private organizations in line with the political decision made by the US government a week ago to revoke the economic embargo on the country.

The list was published on the official website of the Office of Asset Control on Thursday.

The United States imposed sanctions for the first time on Sudan in 1997 for human rights abuses and terrorism-related concerns.

Former US President Barack Obama announced in January a tentative agreement to ease sanctions on Sudan.

In July, President Donald Trump’s administration postponed the decision to lift the sanctions permanently for three months, and set October 12 as a deadline for Sudan to meet conditions, including resolving conflicts and strengthening its humanitarian efforts.

Governor of the Central Bank of Sudan Hazem Abdulkader said Friday in a statement from Washington that the US Department of State's Office of Foreign Assets Control, which is linked to the US Treasury, has published a list of 223 companies, organizations and factories involved in the lifting of the embargo, their names, addresses and locations inside the country, according to Sudan News Agency (Suna).

Sudan Central Bank, Sudan Railway Corporation, Giad Industrial Company and Sudan Telecommunications Company (Sudatel) topped the list of 223 Sudanese bodies that the embargo was actually lifted on.

Deputy Chairman of the Sudan Banks Union Abbas Ali Abbas said that all banking correspondents around the world will resume banking activity with Sudan next Monday, especially in the field of reviving bank accounts and removing Sudanese banks from US embargo lists.

Minister of Transport, Roads and Bridges, Engineer Makawi Awad pointed out that lifting the US embargo on the railway and airways sectors in Sudan would facilitate many activities related to them.

He confirmed the return of the Sudanese air transport sector and the navigational lines which were controlled by Sudan in several ports.

The Khartoum-Madani railway line will be opened next to railway lines from Khartoum to Gezira, Kassala and Sennar.

The US Treasury’s decision came in line with the announcement of UAE investments in the country in addition to investments by China, Russia, India, South Africa, Brazil, Mauritania, Norway and a number of US and Arab companies, headed by Saudi Arabia.

Besides the weak investments, the country has been suffering from high debts, amounting to $47 billion in the first quarter of this year.

For his part, Minister of Finance and Economic Planning Dr. Mohammed Osman al-Rikabi has revealed that his ministry will implement certain procedures to benefit from the lifting of economic sanctions, a move that would strengthen Sudan’s relations with international financial institutions.

The minister, who is participating in the current annual meetings of the First African Group of the World Bank and the IMF, told Asharq Al-Awsat in a phone call that Sudan has gone a long way in dealing with its commercial debts.

“We need to put more efforts to take advantage of the lifting of sanctions, continue (the implementation of) our economic and political reform packages and receive debt exemption to reintegrate into the global economy,” Rikabi stressed.

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Business

IMF and Arab Monetary Fund Sign MoU to Enhance Cooperation

The MoU was signed by IMF Managing Director Dr. Kristalina Georgieva and AMF Director General Dr. Fahad Alturki - SPA
The MoU was signed by IMF Managing Director Dr. Kristalina Georgieva and AMF Director General Dr. Fahad Alturki - SPA
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IMF and Arab Monetary Fund Sign MoU to Enhance Cooperation

The MoU was signed by IMF Managing Director Dr. Kristalina Georgieva and AMF Director General Dr. Fahad Alturki - SPA
The MoU was signed by IMF Managing Director Dr. Kristalina Georgieva and AMF Director General Dr. Fahad Alturki - SPA

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Arab Monetary Fund (AMF) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the sidelines of the AlUla Conference on Emerging Market Economies (EME) to enhance cooperation between the two institutions.

The MoU was signed by IMF Managing Director Dr. Kristalina Georgieva and AMF Director General Dr. Fahad Alturki, SPA reported.

The agreement aims to strengthen coordination in economic and financial policy areas, including surveillance and lending activities, data and analytical exchange, capacity building, and the provision of technical assistance, in support of regional financial and economic stability.

Both sides affirmed that the MoU represents an important step toward deepening their strategic partnership and strengthening the regional financial safety net, serving member countries and enhancing their ability to address economic challenges.

Business

Saudi Chambers Federation Announces First Saudi-Kuwaiti Business Council

File photo of the Saudi flag/AAWSAT
File photo of the Saudi flag/AAWSAT
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Saudi Chambers Federation Announces First Saudi-Kuwaiti Business Council

File photo of the Saudi flag/AAWSAT
File photo of the Saudi flag/AAWSAT

The Federation of Saudi Chambers announced the formation of the first joint Saudi-Kuwaiti Business Council for its inaugural term (1447–1451 AH) and the election of Salman bin Hassan Al-Oqayel as its chairman.

Al-Oqayel said the council’s formation marks a pivotal milestone in economic relations between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, reflecting a practical approach to enabling the business sectors in both countries to capitalize on promising investment opportunities and strengthen bilateral trade and investment partnerships, SPA reported.

He noted that trade between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait reached approximately SAR9.5 billion by the end of November 2025, including SAR8 billion in Saudi exports and SAR1.5 billion in Kuwaiti imports.

Business

Leading Harvard Trade Economist Says Saudi Arabia Holds Key to Success in Fragmented Global Economy

Professor Pol Antràs speaks during a panel discussion at the AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies (Asharq Al-Awsat).
Professor Pol Antràs speaks during a panel discussion at the AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies (Asharq Al-Awsat).
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Leading Harvard Trade Economist Says Saudi Arabia Holds Key to Success in Fragmented Global Economy

Professor Pol Antràs speaks during a panel discussion at the AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies (Asharq Al-Awsat).
Professor Pol Antràs speaks during a panel discussion at the AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies (Asharq Al-Awsat).

Harvard University economics professor Pol Antràs said Saudi Arabia represents an exceptional model in the shifting global trade landscape, differing fundamentally from traditional emerging-market frameworks. He also stressed that globalization has not ended but has instead re-formed into what he describes as fragmented integration.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat on the sidelines of the AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies, Antràs said Saudi Arabia’s Vision-driven structural reforms position the Kingdom to benefit from the ongoing phase of fragmented integration, adding that the country’s strategic focus on logistics transformation and artificial intelligence constitutes a key engine for sustainable growth that extends beyond the volatility of global crises.

Antràs, the Robert G. Ory Professor of Economics at Harvard University, is one of the leading contemporary theorists of international trade. His research, which reshaped understanding of global value chains, focuses on how firms organize cross-border production and how regulation and technological change influence global trade flows and corporate decision-making.

He said conventional classifications of economies often obscure important structural differences, noting that the term emerging markets groups together countries with widely divergent industrial bases. Economies that depend heavily on manufacturing exports rely critically on market access and trade integration and therefore face stronger competitive pressures from Chinese exports that are increasingly shifting toward alternative markets.

Saudi Arabia, by contrast, exports extensively while facing limited direct competition from China in its primary export commodity, a situation that creates a strategic opportunity. The current environment allows the Kingdom to obtain imports from China at lower cost and access a broader range of goods that previously flowed largely toward the United States market.

Addressing how emerging economies should respond to dumping pressures and rising competition, Antràs said countries should minimize protectionist tendencies and instead position themselves as committed participants in the multilateral trading system, allowing foreign producers to access domestic markets while encouraging domestic firms to expand internationally.

He noted that although Chinese dumping presents concerns for countries with manufacturing sectors that compete directly with Chinese production, the risk is lower for Saudi Arabia because it does not maintain a large manufacturing base that overlaps directly with Chinese exports. Lower-cost imports could benefit Saudi consumers, while targeted policy tools such as credit programs, subsidies, and support for firms seeking to redesign and upgrade business models represent more effective responses than broad protectionist measures.

Globalization has not ended

Antràs said globalization continues but through more complex structures, with trade agreements increasingly negotiated through diverse arrangements rather than relying primarily on multilateral negotiations. Trade deals will continue to be concluded, but they are likely to become more complex, with uncertainty remaining a defining feature of the global trading environment.

Interest rates and artificial intelligence

According to Antràs, high global interest rates, combined with the additional risk premiums faced by emerging markets, are constraining investment, particularly in sectors that require export financing, capital expenditure, and continuous quality upgrading.

However, he noted that elevated interest rates partly reflect expectations of stronger long-term growth driven by artificial intelligence and broader technological transformation.

He also said if those growth expectations materialize, productivity gains could enable small and medium-sized enterprises to forecast demand more accurately and identify previously untapped markets, partially offsetting the negative effects of higher borrowing costs.

Employment concerns and the role of government

The Harvard professor warned that labor markets face a dual challenge stemming from intensified Chinese export competition and accelerating job automation driven by artificial intelligence, developments that could lead to significant disruptions, particularly among younger workers. He said governments must adopt proactive strategies requiring substantial fiscal resources to mitigate near-term labor-market shocks.

According to Antràs, productivity growth remains the central condition for success: if new technologies deliver the anticipated productivity gains, governments will gain the fiscal space needed to compensate affected groups and retrain the workforce, achieving a balance between addressing short-term disruptions and investing in long-term strategic gains.