Sudan Unveils Five-Year Livestock and Fisheries Plan
Minister launches a five-year livestock and fisheries strategy aiming to harness Sudan’s vast herds, cut prices and attract regional investment.
Sudan has announced a new five-year strategy to overhaul the livestock and fisheries sector, a critical pillar of the country’s wartime economy.
The plan was unveiled by Ahmed al-Tijani al-Mansouri, Minister of Animal Resources and Fisheries, at the 48th government press briefing.
The minister said that the programme is designed to achieve self-sufficiency, reduce consumer prices and draw sustained investment from regional and international partners.
Al-Mansouri said Sudan now holds 140 million head of livestock, citing the most recent government estimates. He stressed that the scale of these herds places “a fundamental economic asset at the centre of the national economy if managed through well-designed plans,” warning that weak governance and fragmented supply chains have long prevented the sector from realising its potential.
According ministerAl-Mansouri, the strategy includes the creation of a dedicated livestock-production city in every Sudanese state to streamline production, improve veterinary oversight and build value-added processing capacity for domestic and export markets.
“The ministry will introduce a digital platform covering all administrative transactions, to reduce corruption, limiting interference in licensing, and easing procedures for citizens and investors,” he said.
Al-Mansouri added that Sudan is preparing to formalise new private-sector business councils with Saudi Arabia, Oman and Kuwait, following what he described as clear expressions of interest from the three Gulf states to expand investment in Sudan’s livestock economy.
“The councils will focus on export standards, veterinary health compliance, feed production and the revival of Sudan’s long-stalled meat-processing and cold-chain industries,” he added.
He argued that rebuilding the sector could support both domestic food security and urgently needed hard-currency inflows.
Livestock is traditionally Sudan’s largest non-gold export earner, but conflict, transport disruption and the collapse of key regulatory institutions have sharply reduced official exports over the past thirty months.
Al-Mansouri said the government aims to present the strategy to investors and international agencies early next year, positioning the sector as one of the few economic areas capable of immediate recovery despite the ongoing conflict.
Reporting by Awad Mustafa