Sudan Vision was invited by the Embassy of Turkey in Khartoum  to participate in a two weeks training workshop organized by  the Anadolu New Agency in cooperation with TIKA (Turkey Cooperation and  Coordination Organization)  on media  composing all the different types of media outlets. The participants invited were from all the corners of the earth, Europe, Africa, and Asia and in particular from Sudan, Algeria, Cameroun, Nigeria, Albania, Romania, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Libya. The training workshop came under the theme; “Energy Media “, in which 37 presentations during 78 hours were delivered on various topics. These topics were oil and natural gaze in the world, oil diplomacy safety, international energy consumers, energy economy and world demand for energy. 

The Training

The training secessions focused on the theoretical and practical aspects and formulated to guarantee the active participation of the trainee’s. The trainers were from different displaces including Turkey Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources; Turkey Oil Markets Organization, Turkey Middle East Technological University, Markets and Policies Research Institute. The sessions discussed the challenges facing the global energy sector; it included the security aspects, global prices fluctuations, major powers domination, and political conflicts. The lecturers pointed to that Turkey have huge investments in many of the East European countries, vide pipe lines from Russia and Georgia and same time Turkey is among the five biggest countries in Europe in the production of liquefied gas, The participants were asked to present a brief on the energy sector in their country, the challenges facing the energy sector in addition to renewable energy.  I presented a brief on the energy sector in Sudan starting with the first explorations for oil by the US Chevron in West Sudan in 1974  , then its exist and the entrance to the sector by the Asian companies like China National Petrol Company , as the biggest partner for Sudan in the Ninetieth of the last century. Also there were two Malaysian companies and an Indian one. The secession of South Sudan in 2011 had a very negative impact on the oil sector in Sudan as almost 80 percent of the oil filed were in that sector of the country.  The only revenue that remained for a large extent was the pipe rental to South Sudan forthe their oil to pass to the export markets via Port Sudan harbor. This why the government have turned the focus to the agricultural sector after the session of the south. But still there indication of the presence of oil in north, west and east Sudan which needs investment’s and explorations specially that Sudan have gained fact experience in this field.

Economic Challenges

Sudan faced many economic challenges including the civil war with South Sudan which ended in 2005 with the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. In addition the US economic sanctions which lasted for twenty years until 2017 as well the tribal conflicts in Darfur in which the western media played a very negative role in blowing the issue out of its normal proportion.

Field visits

Some field visits were organized for the training workshop participants which included a visit to TB pipe line Company in Papa Bazar which employ 3 thousand personal during which the director briefed us on the company activities.

Anadolu News Agency

The Anadolu News Agency started operation in April, 1920 and soon will celebrate its 100 anniversary. One of the agency concerns was the training of journalist inside and outside of Turkey.  Many of the agency reporters work in the dangerous areas of armed conflicts which prove their dedication to bring news from the field in a very professional manner. The agency consider that the social media is at present is the most effective communications tool  as  sp is developing plans  and programs to integrate it in its coverage’s.  Same time is guided by the universal human rights norms, national security interest and public order.