Khartoum - Poverty rate has dropped to 36.1 percent according to a national survey on family budget

and poverty conducted during 2014-2015 compared with 46 percent in 2009.
The survey attributed poverty to growing unemployment in Sudan with the rates ranging to 50 percent among household members. 
According to the survey the states of Gezira, Northern and Nile River are less poor compared to other regions of Sudan, while indicators show that the states of Red Sea, East and South Darfur are going through abject poverty and are in desperately need of second class intervention.
The results of the survey showed that the degree of poverty has to do with the degree of the education of the head of a household, and that two out of three of the poor are from a household whose head is illiterate. 
The survey concluded that West Darfur, Central Darfur and South Kordofan states are the poorest regions of the country, where poverty constitutes 60 percent, an indication that these regions would struggle to combat the alarmingly growing rate even under the provision of support by the government.
The State Minister for International Cooperation Sumaiyah revealed that the ministry would maintain efforts to come with a strategy for ending foreign and domestic debts.
The General Director of the National Statistics Office noted that office will conduct additional survey to update the statistics, adding that the previous survey did not cover the IDP camps.
State Minister for Finance Majdi Yassin said that the Central Bank has directed banks to earmark 12 per cent for microfinance programs in aid of efforts to alleviate poverty nationwide.
Sudan Statistical Support official at African Development Bank said the institution would help Sudan to modify its strategy for development based on the results of the survey in question.  He added that African Development Bank is aimed at supporting poor sectors.
Accordingly, the government and international donors are demanded to reconsider the distribution of development projects in states to balance the equation and prioritize microfinance programs, especially in the rural areas.