Sudan’s Governors Agree to Focus on Agriculture

By James Gatdet Dak

May 5, 2009 (JUBA) – The governors of Sudanese states agreed on the need to focus efforts on the agriculture to increase the national revenue.

A two-day conference discussing the future of Sudan, and involving governors of all the 25 states of the whole country, concluded on Tuesday in Wau town, capital of Western Bahr el Ghazal state in Southern Sudan.

Top on the agenda included the current economic crisis and need for national reconciliation and integration before the upcoming general elections next year and referendum for the people of Southern Sudan in 2011.

Besides governors from all the states in the country, ministers from both the Government of National Unity (GoNU), led by the Vice President Ali Osman Mohamed Taha and the Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS), led by the Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny participated in the conference.

The Forum was briefly opened by the First Vice President of the Republic of Sudan and President of the Government of Southern Sudan, General Salva Kiir Mayardit who, in his opening remarks, stressed the need for national reconciliation in the country.

In a statement to the press shortly after his arrival at Juba International Airport from Western Bahr el Ghazal state, Vice President Dr. Riek Machar explained that the conference discussed the main causes of the current economic crisis in the country including the fall in oil prices and what to be done in order to move out of it.

The meeting, he said, resolved to diversify the economic bases from relying only on oil revenue to seriously engaging in agricultural production.

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