Obstacles that Face Industry in the Sudan and Minimizing Employment Opportunities in this Sector.

Abdel-Magied, Ahmed

Obstacles that Face Industry in the Sudan and Minimizing Employment Opportunities in this Sector. Abdel Mageed, Ahmed; Hashem, Azza; Mohamed, Hanana and Mahjob, Amina (School of Management--Ahfad University for Women)

This study aimed at revealing obstacles that faced industry in the Sudan and led to minimizing employment opportunities in this sector. Also, the study targeted the finding of suitable solutions for revitalization of industry for the provision of wider employment opportunities. This study has adopted the descriptive methodology. Qualitative primary data was collected through structured in depth interviews with six experienced and well qualified interviewees who are capable of the evaluation of the different types of industry in the Sudan.

This study has revealed the obstacles that faced industry and suggested the suitable solutions for overcoming these difficulties. Some of the important obstacles are follows:

Unavailability of the needed energy, absence of encouragement of local and foreign capital to invest in industry, failure in persuasion of foreign investment due to political instability in the Sudan, taxation policies, governmental policies and maladministration, unavailability of the necessary local raw materials and scarcity of foreign currency for the importation of raw materials that are vital inputs for many industries. This is in addition to financing problems that have negatively affected many industries, such as textile, oil leather industries; a situation that has negatively affected availability of employment opportunities. The study summarized the necessary solutions as follows:

Providing the trained cadres and the needed foreign expertise, providing the necessary foreign currency for purchasing the needed raw materials, revision and amendment of investment and taxation policies, solving energy problems and providing the necessary financing facilities. Accordingly , some of the important recommendations include rehabilitation of the factories, protection of local products, provision of raw materials, revision and amendment of taxation policies and provision of the financial facilities that are necessary for the industrial production operations.