The National Water Strategy enables Sudan to benefit from most of its water resources through ambitious plans that come in line with the national vision and the sustainable development goals, Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok said on Monday.
The government launched the first-ever national water strategy 2021-2031 at the headquarters of the Ministry of Water and Irrigation in Khartoum on Monday.
It aims to provide food security to more than seven million Sudanese, alleviate poverty, improve livelihoods in urban and rural areas and promote peace in war-affected areas.
In his address at the inauguration, Hamdok said this achievement reflects the collective hope and is the outcome of extensive consultations.
“We have groundwater and other sources that enable us to grow wheat in Gezira and North Kordofan states and make optimal use of all water sources to turn the desert into green meadows to achieve food security,” he explained.
The challenges facing the water sector in the country are due to the institutional weakness and the absence of capacities to implement the sector's policies and systems, Hamdok noted.
He called for cooperation with neighboring countries to provide and secure water for future generations.
Irrigation Minister Yasser Abbas, for his part, said the strategy focuses on three major topics, the water resources and uses in the irrigation and drinking water sectors.
Specialized experts from the Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources and academics took part in preparing the strategy, along with extensive participation of all stakeholders, regional and global bodies specialized in the field of water, the United Nations, UNICEF, FAO, the World Bank and experts from Sudan and abroad.
The ministry will commit to implementing this strategy so that the water sector contributes to Sudan’s economic development in the future.
Under the strategy, all citizens in rural, urban and nomadic areas should have access to a safe and affordable water supply. The interventions in the plan will transform irrigation systems, leading to improved food security.
