Khartoum. Tryagnews
The 38th session of the Khartoum International Fair, considered the largest commercial event in Africa, was attended by many countries, companies and institutions. Despite the coronavirus outbreak, external participation has reached 14 countries including Russia.
Russian engineer Anton Pakhomov, project coordinator of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that the invitation to take part in the exhibition came from the Sudanese company for free zones and markets, which was presented by the Russian embassy. The Russian side recognized the importance of such a developing country as Sudan. Mr. Pakhomov noted that the project was prepared for presentation to the state and investors a month ago, and added that the exhibition is a suitable opportunity to present the project to a wide range of companies and businessmen.
An integrated transport development program was presented to the Minister of Infrastructure Hashim Abu Auf. The Russian side explained that the same project has already been implemented in Moscow, as well as in a few other large Russian cities. The minister stressed his readiness to apply in accordance with the vision of Sudan and the goals set by the country. The project in Sudan may be difficult and time-consuming, but if successful and completed, the project will be of great benefit to the country.
The transport project is the introduction of buses and trams in the future to increase travel speed, reduce travel time and ease of movement, and thus eliminate congestion. The goal of the authorities is to get to the center of the capital from anywhere in no more than ten minutes.
Mr. Pakhomov explained that the project can be carried out in its current state, but this requires a lot of effort. He noted that Khartoum is similar to many other capitals where the project was applied – for example, in the capital of Côte d’Ivoire, Abidjan, three years ago.
According to the Russian engineer, financing is currently not being discussed, despite its importance. He explained that there has been a lot of discussions on this topic with the Sudanese government, but funding approval is being delayed until a project agreement is also negotiated with the private sector along with the government.
When asked about the construction of metro in Khartoum, Anton Pakhomov explained that Russian companies are able to accomplish this, but such a project requires land study, soil type and funding. He admitted the possibility of implementing the project in the future, but during this period the business will be limited to working with buses and trams. Mr. Pakhomov clearly stated that Russian companies are advanced in this area and can provide everything they need, noting that nothing prevents companies from other countries from participating in the project.
He hopes that the Sudanese people would like the project, thanking them for the great recognition that the Russian side received from exhibition visitors and companies. He also praised the efforts made by his country to transfer Russian technologies ro the international arena.