Sudan's war-damaged factories struggle to restart, with 1,800 industrial facilities hit

Mansour Gaily, who owns a sweets factory in Sudan's capital Khartoum, has resumed production, but his factory is now operating at only 40 percent of its previous capacity.

When fighting erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), production ground to a halt at Gaily's factory, like thousands of other businesses across the country.

Gaily said their losses are estimated at $1m. Some machinery and spare parts were lost, and large parts of the factory had to be rebuilt.

Before the war, Khartoum was one of Sudan's main industrial centres, home to factories producing food, textiles and other consumer goods. During the war the city became a major battleground between the SAF and the RSF.

According to Sudan's Ministry of Industry, approximately 1,800 industrial facilities have been damaged during the war, including 650 factories that were completely destroyed.

Abdulelah Mohamed, who owns a factory for plastic products and recycling in Khartoum, described the situation as catastrophic. He said damaging, destroying and looting the factories was systematic, and that they lost everything.

Sara Elfatih Khalil, chief executive of Al Teital Advance Industries, ran a factory that produced sesame oil and, before the war, provided employment for 300 workers. Its warehouses were looted during the fighting, its buildings were damaged and its supply chain remains broken, so the factory continues to be shut down.

Khalil said less than 10 percent of factories in the sector are currently operational, and those that remain open are operating intermittently, with costs that threaten their continued viability. Restoring investor confidence, she said, requires security and political stability, clear and consistent economic policies, legal protection for investment and property rights, and reliable financing and infrastructure.

For Gaily, restoring production requires a steady supply of ingredients including sesame and sugar, as well as packaging, spare parts, electricity and workers; disruption to any of these can bring production to a halt. He said that despite the severe damage and limited capital, they chose to continue because they have no other options.

Mohamed Haj, a worker who lost his job at a different sweets factory in Khartoum North, said he lost his job at the beginning of the war and the factory owner is unable to restore it. Reviving the industrial sector, he said, could provide jobs for thousands of workers left without work.

Abdelgadir Mohamed, who sells sweets and other consumer products in Bahri Central Market, said the disappearance of many Sudanese-made products has made it harder for traders to source stock. Consumer Ahmed Mahmoud said prices are changing every day, and both local and imported products are expensive.

In August, a Ministry of Industry committee was established to assess the condition of industrial facilities in Khartoum State and prepare incentives to encourage factory owners to reopen. The recovery plan also includes restoring essential services in industrial areas, including electricity, water, roads, sewage and waste management.

Economist Mohamed Elnayer said rebuilding the industrial sector will require a broader strategy that addresses the structural weaknesses that existed even before the war. He said Sudan should consider developing a more competitive economy in other Sudanese states, rather than simply restoring the sector concentrated in Khartoum.