World Bank president arrives in Sudan for first visit in 50 years

By Mohamed Amin
KHARTOUM, Sudan (AA) – World Bank President David Malpass arrived in Khartoum on Thursday, for the first visit to Sudan in five decades.

The two-day visit comes after years-long economic embargo imposed on Sudan ended following the ouster of the regime of Omar al-Bashir in April 2019.

"The visit reaffirms the Bank’s deep commitment to helping the Government of Sudan achieve better development outcomes for the people of Sudan,” the World Bank’s Sudan office said in a statement.

“This is the first high-level visit by a World Bank official since Sudan reached the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) decision point,” it added.

The HIPC is a group of 39 developing countries with high levels of poverty and debt, which are eligible for special assistance from the IMF and World Bank.

The bank is expected to grant $2 billion to Sudan next year to help the country reinvigorate economic growth.

“We are very happy to re-engage with Sudan. Over the next year, we will commit about $2 billion in grants to support the government’s efforts to reduce poverty and boost economic growth,” the statement said.

Sudan was removed last year from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism.