Khartoum - Sudan and Qatar signed a preliminary agreement to develop the port of Osman Digna

in the Red Sea coast city of Sawakin after a joint talks held in Khartoum yesterday.
The Sudanese side was headed by the Minister of Transport, Roads and Bridges, Engineer Makkawi Mohamed Awad, while the Qatari side was headed by the Minister of Communications, Jassem bin Saif bin Sulaiti.
Director of Maritime Ports at the Ministry of Transport, Roads and Bridges, Engineer Abdul Hafeez Ali Saleh signed on behalf of the Sudanese side, while Advisor of the Minister, Chairman of the Joint Committee of the Transport Sector, Hassan bin Al-Hassan Al-Hail signed for the Qatari side, in the presence of the Ambassador of Qatar to Khartoum.
During his speech at the signing ceremony, the Sudanese minister praised the State of Qatar's interest and cooperation with Sudan in all fields, welcoming the visit of the Qatari minister, describing it as important, pointing out that the agreement includes many aspects, including training and investment.
For his part, the Qatari minister announced the start of work in the development of the port after the study of the strategic plan, pointing out that a number of Qatari ships will arrive at the port early next month for the purpose of joint cooperation, pointing out that his country is looking for more investment in Sudan according to the plan listed, adding that the port is used to bring the Sudanese livestock to the State of Qatar to achieve the interest between the two countries, and that the agreement included other agreements in the economic field.
Meanwhile, President of the Republic, Field Marshal Omer Al-Bashir received, here Sunday,  Qatari  Minister of Transport and Communications, Jassim bin Saif Al-Sulaiti and the accompanying delegation, in the presence of Minister of Transport, Engineer Makawi Mohamed Awad and Qatar's Ambassador to Sudan, Rashid bin Abdul Rahman Al-Nuaimi.
For his part, Minister of Transport, Roads and Bridges, Makkawi Mohamed Awad announced the financing of Qatar to the project of rehabilitation and development of the port of Sawakin at amount of 4 billion dollars, adding that the project will be completed in 2020, noting that the first phase of the agreement cost $ 500 million, where the government will receive 51% of the project share, while Qatar gets 49%.
For his part, the Qatari  minister said that Sudan has a strong infrastructure in the ports sector, pointing out that his visit to the country came to discuss opportunities for cooperation and investment between the two governments, adding that the port of Sawakin has preferential advantages and supports exports significantly, especially  economics of the African region.
In turn, Governor of the Red Sea, Ali Ahmed Hamid, stressed the state's support for projects that would support the local and national economy.