Sudan - Country Commercial Guide
Construction, Engineering, and Infrastructure Development



Last published date: 2021-02-12

Poor infrastructure is a major obstacle to growth in Sudan as it limits opportunities, creates inconveniences, and sustains high costs for basic services.  The country has one of the most selectively developed and underdeveloped infrastructures in Africa.

Infrastructure in Sudan largely subsists around Khartoum, the country’s main hub, which acts as a direct connection between five major areas—Port Sudan, Egypt and North Africa, the Eritrean border, Kordofan and Ethiopia.  The rest of Sudan consists of disjointed highways, five international airports that are severely limited in their operational capacity due to financial constraints, and a power infrastructure that focuses primarily on major urban areas.

The greatest challenges to improving infrastructure in Sudan lie in the water and transport sectors.  In the transport sector, a sizable share of the country lacks roads.  There are a few well-developed internal corridors, while rural connectivity is almost nonexistent.  Road density is exceedingly low and traffic along most roads is sparse.  Poor-quality roads drastically undermine the efficiency of transport services.  Further, the large volumes of unpaved roads make movement impossible during the rainy season.  The CLTG has expressed interest in rebuilding the main highway between Khartoum and Port Sudan, and the southern Khartoum-Kosti roadway.

The main goal of developing water infrastructure in Sudan is to increase access to clean water and sanitation systems, while improving utility efficiency.  The challenge is to develop usable water resources while simultaneously decreasing contaminants through improved sanitation.  A 2017 Borgen Project report estimated major water infrastructure development projects in Sudan were projected to cost between $20-$100 million, with overall costs reaching $1 billion by 2023.