Country partially lifts fuel and electricity subsidies

November 4, 2016 7:22 AM

The government said it will ban imports of red meat and fish and increase tariffs on other imported products, Mahmoud said

Sudan partially lifts fuel and electricity subsidies

Sudan has partially lifted fuel and electricity subsidies as part of an economic reform package aimed at cutting government spending that also included import restrictions, the finance minister said late on Thursday.

Sudan's economy has struggled since South Sudan seceded in 2011, taking with it three-quarters of the country's oil output, a key source of foreign currency and government revenue.

"The policies were necessary to solve the economic crisis and if we did not take these steps the crisis would double in effect for the nation and citizens," Finance Minister Badr al-Din Mahmoud told a news conference.

Gasoline prices are set to increase about 30 percent while electricity prices are set to increase 0.06 Sudanese pounds per kilowatt hour for use above 400 kilowatts, Mahmoud said.

The reforms also included austerity measures on government spending to reduce expenditure on cars and travel for officials and furniture for government offices, he added.

The government said it will ban imports of red meat and fish and increase tariffs on other imported products, Mahmoud said. He did not specify the nature of the other products.