Sudan Privatization Program: Putting the Cart before the Horse

The aim of this study is to examine whether Sudan privatization program takes into consideration the necessary prerequisites for privatization, which include proper transparency, competition and regulatory framework, a dynamic capital market, a safety net program, proper sequencing and timing, institutional and legal reforms, and above all political commitment and support for the implementation of the program. Moreover, this study aims at examining the various problems that face the implementation of the privatization program. The study adopts a combination of comparative, descriptive, and analytical methods, where it depends on both secondary and primary sources. The study main findings indicate that Sudan privatization program has overlooked the above-mentioned necessary prerequisites for privatization, for instance a large number of public enterprises were privatized even before both an adequate regulatory or competitive framework were put into place. Furthermore, Sudan lacks a dynamic capital market, as well as a financial infrastructure of brokerage houses, banks, lawyers. In addition, the program's timetable is inadequate. Moreover, despite the progress made in disseminating the necessary information about the implementation of the privatization program, the government should make more efforts in this area. Also, most of enterprises privatized through Al-Aylola formula had failed to register any improvement in its performance (i.e., those enterprises which were transferred from the central or federal government to state governments), and the adoption of this formula indicates clearly the inordinate power of the President's Office, as well as the lack of co-ordination between the different government bodies.