The path toward an industrial policy that prioritizes people

Any serious efforts towards establishing an industrial policy for Sudan requires beginning by defining the framework of this policy and its general determinants. To achieve this, the Institute of Industrial Policy Studies, at the Center for Industrial Research and Consultation, organized in February 2021 a brainstorming event, in a round-table program entitled “For Strategic Action to Develop Industry In Sudan In Accordance With The Sustainable Development Goals.””. Through this platform, the Institute sought “to work towards developing a consensus framework that helps direct industrial policy recommendations, according to a flexible industrial strategic direction, in order to enhance the role of the industrial sector and increase its contribution to economic development in Sudan.” as mentioned in his report published on the center’s website, alongside the papers presented in the program. The papers presented within the program listed a number of principles that can be adopted as basic determinants and frameworks for the process of setting industrial policy. These principles are 1) the comprehensiveness and sustainability of industrial policy so that its benefits include various segments of society and do not negatively affect the well-being of future generations and the future of the country. 2) Using the scientific method and tools in comparison, decision-making, and policy development, and 3) Emphasizing the role of the state in directing industrial development through industrial policy tools. We emphasize the substance and importance of these three determinants, and we also add to them a fourth aspect that we consider necessary for the completion of this framework, that is the prioritization of people’s lives and the well-being of current as well as future generations as a basic determinant in the comparison between policies. We believe that it is necessary to establish this point, especially in light of the current structure of the Sudanese economy. Livestock and extractive industries constitute the bulk of the Sudanese economy, and all of them – to varying degrees – are sectors with environmental, social and economic implications that must be paid attention to. The high economic returns of these industries pose a threat to the interests of the communities and individuals who are affected by them, as they may increase the resistance of decision makers to adequately weigh in the interests of societies if they conflict with trends that achieve high profits within the industry in question. The possibility of this risk increases as the country’s economic conditions deteriorate and the need to quickly maximize revenues increases. This has happened before in Sudan’s recent and distant history. A people-centered approach must be agreed upon when working and thinking about industrial policy to achieve real progress.