The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) announced on Wednesday a strategy outlining a practical path to revive Sudan’s economy amid the ongoing war. The plan focuses on supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) rather than relying on major reforms or large-scale projects.
The strategy, covering the period 2026–2028, aims to stimulate an economy that has been severely impacted since the outbreak of conflict in April 2023. The country’s GDP contracted by 29.4% in 2023 and by 13.5% in 2024.
In a statement, the UNDP said the strategy is based on the premise that people need targeted and tangible interventions that can be implemented even during conflict, and can later be scaled up once stability returns—without requiring comprehensive reforms or massive projects.
The programme explained that the strategy was developed in collaboration with its Istanbul International Center for Private Sector in Development, based on surveys conducted at the company level and 71 interviews with businesses, banks, business associations, displaced companies, and diaspora entrepreneurs in November 2025.
It noted that micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises—the backbone of Sudan’s economy—have borne the brunt of the conflict, with their sales declining by an average of 35.8% since the war began, and by more than half in areas experiencing intense fighting.
The report added that manufacturing and construction companies, which depend on supply chains and fixed premises, saw revenues drop by 47%. Meanwhile, the number of permanent employees in a typical company has nearly halved, falling from 7.6 before the war to 3.9 currently.
