The impact of the recent weather shocks on businesses (mainly SMEs) and macroeconomic and social stability in Sudan

Abstract

In 2020, the government of Sudan was affected by the worst flooding in over three decades after months of rains across Central and Northeaster Africa. Since the start of the rainy season in July, large rainfall surpluses had been recorded throughout the Greater Horn of Africa. Heavy rains in the upstream catchments of the Blue Nile (Ethiopia) and the White Nile (South Sudan) resulted in a dramatic increase of Nile water levels. In total, the floods affected all 18 States in Sudan. This prompted government to seek out additional support from donors and development partners, including from UNECA, to devise effective plans and actions for both reconstruction and greener recovery. To respond to that demand, UNECA has coordinated an assessment of the effects of that flood on the businesses and macroeconomic and social effects, which produced an insight that informed the proposed recommendations to support development of national reconstruction and green recovery plans. The assessment specifically sets out to: support country-led assessments and initiate recovery planning processes through a coordinated inter-institutional approach; evaluate the impact of the floods on infrastructure and assets, service delivery, governance and social processes; assess needs to address underlying risks and vulnerabilities so as to reduce risk and build back better; estimate the damage and losses caused by the floods; identify recovery and reconstruction needs; guide development of a recovery strategy; and provide the basis for mobilizing resources for recovery and reconstruction through local, national and international sources.