Sudanese port to be developed with $4bn Qatari funding

HE the Minister of Transport and Communications Jassim Seif Ahmedal-Sulaiti and Sudan’s Minister of Transportation, Roads and BridgesMakawi Mohamed Awad yesterday witnessed the signing of the minutes ofthe meeting of the joint committee on developing and managing theSudanese Port of Suakin.Hassan bin Hassan al-Hail, chairman of the joint committee on transportwith the Ministry of Transport and Communications (MoTC), anddirector-general of Sudan’s Maritime Ports Authority Dr Abdul HafizSaleh Ali, signed the minutes of the meeting. The event was alsoattended by Qatar’s ambassador to Sudan, Rashid bin Abdul Rahman al-Nuiami. The Suakin Port development and management project is expected to becompleted in 2020 with Qatari funding worth $4bn, of which $500mn willbe allocated for implementing the first phase, the official Qatar NewsAgency reported. The Sudanese and Qatari share of the project will be51% and 49%, respectively, according to Awad.The minutes of the meeting, signed yesterday morning in Khartoum,outline a future roadmap for co-operation and general frameworks forpartnership. Starting this April as a beginning of the co-operation, HE al-Sulaitisaid, a maritime route would be launched between Hamad Port and SuakinPort to ship Sudanese livestock, stressing that the minutes of themeeting included a “powerful economic co-operation in the interest ofboth brotherly countries”.He also stressed the strength of Qatari-Sudanese relations, for whichthe foundations were laid by His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim binHamad al-Thani and Sudanese President Omer Hassan al-Bashir.This step, he added, would bring back Suakin Port’s historic glory andmake it a maritime commercial gateway as well as a key, vital economicplatform in the region.Suakin Port, HE the Minister said, has its advantages and is supportingexports significantly, especially the economies of the African region.He also stressed its importance and vital, strategic location, itsconnection to the Silk Road and uniqueness for being an importantmeeting point for exportation, particularly for neighbouring countries.He emphasised that the port’s development works would move at anaccelerated pace to finalise its rehabilitation and development by 2020,taking into account the application of the world’s latest technologiesfor operations, as well as environmental standards.Meanwhile, Awad hailed the Qatari role that is supportive of Sudan inall fields, nothing that it has contributed to the country’s progressand economic development. He said the minutes of the meeting came withinthe framework of successful strategic partnerships between the twobrotherly countries.Awad stressed that the project would provide high-quality services toall vessels on the Red Sea, as Suakin Port is a new seaport for Africaand an investment source to provide economic benefits for Sudan andserve the two countries’ interests.