UNIDO Launches Initiative To Rehabilitate Sudan's War-Damaged Industry

Khartoum, August 15, 2026 - The United Nations Industrial Development Organization has launched an initiative to support the rehabilitation of Sudan's private industrial sector, which has suffered extensive destruction and looting during the war. Ministry of Industry figures indicate that about 1,800 industrial facilities have been damaged, including 650 factories ruined.

The Federation of Chambers of Industry estimates total sector losses at between $50 billion and $58 billion, far beyond the financing capacity of Sudan's domestic institutions and banking system. Industry representatives are working with the Ministry of Finance and UNIDO on a rehabilitation strategy intended to reflect the scale of physical damage and the need for outside capital.

Sudanese enterprises are seeking transparent frameworks under which UNIDO could help assess local assets and structure joint ventures with foreign investors providing reconstruction financing. The industry federation has said such partnerships would require binding guarantees backed by the Sudanese government, the Central Bank of Sudan, and the United Nations.

It also identified power shortages as the main obstacle to restarting industrial activity, underscoring that investors will require stable electricity and basic infrastructure before committing funds. UNIDO's Investment and Technology Promotion Office in Germany plans to lead a mission of German and European investors to Sudan in September to explore direct partnerships and industrial rehabilitation projects.