World Bank Mission Returns to Sudan With $540.2 Million

First high-level World Bank delegation reaches Sudan since 2021, pledging $540.2 m for reconstruction, food security and basic services.

The first high-level delegation from the World Bank arrived in Port Sudan on 1 December 2025, marking the resumption of formal development support after a four-year thaw.

At a meeting in the ministries complex the same day, the Bank’s regional director for Sudan, Ethiopia and Eritrea, Mariam Salim, confirmed that the Bank remains committed to its ongoing projects in Sudan, describing the active portfolio as “US$ 540.2 million” aligned with priorities set by the government.

In conversation with the mission in Port Sudan, Gibril Ibrahim, Sudan’s Finance Minister, welcomed the return of the Bank.

“The government’s immediate priorities include reconstruction, rehabilitating war-damaged infrastructure in Khartoum State, and restoring essential services — health, education, water, electricity and alternative energy,” the Finance Minister said at the meeting.

The World Bank’s return comes after it had suspended grants worth over US$1.8 billion — allocated for budget support, electricity production and transmission, agricultural irrigation and other development projects — following the military takeover in October 2021.

Salim noted that a meeting in Washington in November had concluded with agreement to extend support to Sudan via new projects focused on food security and basic services.

According to the World Bank mission, a new project targeting clean, digital energy has been approved, signalling a shift towards modern infrastructure alongside humanitarian support.

For a country whose economy has been ravaged by almost three years of conflict — with estimates from the World Bank in mid-2025 forecasting a further contraction and warning that up to 71% of the population could plunge into poverty — the return of international development finance offers a rare, albeit cautious, lifeline.

Yet the challenges remain enormous: disrupted institutions, damaged infrastructure, widespread displacement and a banking system under severe strain. External funding alone cannot reverse the damage without parallel efforts to stabilise security and rebuild governance.

Still, the World Bank’s re-engagement provides technical oversight, some continuity for critical services and a glimmer of hope for Sudan’s embattled citizens — and a potential anchor for future regional and international support.

Reporting by Awad Mustafa