Overview

Parallel to the enormous humanitarian crisis resulting from the war in Sudan, there has also been another crisis - an economic one. This is in addition to the total economic meltdown that has been ongoing since the coup d'état on October 25th, 2021. The very few businesses that were running offering people employment opportunities and stimulating the economy also ceased operations because of the conflict. The result is 13% of the agrifood processing firms operating in Khartoum having permanently ceased operations, 53% temporarily closed down, and another 20% have reduced their operations as of July 2023 based on a report by IFPRI. According to IMF, the war raised the unemployment rate in Sudan from 32.14 percent in 2022 to 47.2 percent in 2024, while the same study by IFPRI mentioned that Sudan will lose 5 million jobs due to the war.

On Wednesday 20 March Andariya held its 6th and final space of the #SudanCrisis series with Rawia Ibrahim, Career Development Manager at Jobs4Sudan and Khansa Alhaj Co-Founder of 249Startups Sudan, to convene about the status of the different sizes of businesses in light of the ongoing conflict in Sudan, their contribution to the economy and their ability to provide employment opportunities. Rawia discussed some general tips that job seekers should follow on how they can efficiently look for jobs in more competitive markets and how platforms such as Jobs4Sudan and other similar initiatives play a role in connecting job seekers with employers as well as providing mentorship and guidance.

Key Take-away Points for Job Seekers

Relocating to a new country, especially if it's unplanned, can be an extremely challenging experience that presents a set of unique obstacles to the individual. Some of these challenges include lack of connections and networks in the new community, limited knowledge of the job market and job hunting process, and language barriers. All of these factors can lead to increased levels of anxiety and stress for job seekers. Possible solutions could be;

• Research; Increase your knowledge and understanding of the country and community by researching the job market and understanding the job application process.
• Networking and connection building; it is good to network and connect with people you know in the new country to get insights on the job market and understand the new community and business landscape better.
• Professional connection building; If you do not have any connections in this country, you could start building new professional connections, which could be achieved through attending networking events, volunteering, or through professional connection-building platforms such as LinkedIn.

Differences Between Job Markets in Sudan and Abroad

• Most job applications outside Sudan require a cover letter which is not very common in Sudan, other employers might require you to answer some questions or even undergo a test.
• Outside Sudan usually employers require the CV to be in English, it is also important to make sure that it doesn’t have any grammatical or spelling mistakes.

Self-evaluation tips

• Write down all your strength points including your technical and soft skills, certificates or courses, languages, and experiences, this would allow you to spot your weaknesses and allow you to focus more on building your capacity in the areas that require doing so.
• Job hunting is a very tough process that requires a lot of time. Based on research, getting a job could take from 6-12 months, which requires a lot of patience, so jobseekers need to manager their expectations accordingly.

About Jobs4Sudan

Jobs4Sudan works towards increasing people’s awareness about the requirements of job hunting outside Sudan by offering webinars, lectures, workshops and providing job listings. They host weekly webinars with career experts and established professionals, featuring over 20 conversations including scholarships.

Jobs4Sudan also offer a mentorship program facilitating 1 on 1 mentorship between job seekers and established Sudanese professionals. It also works toward building collaboration with employers or similar recruitment and capacity-building organizations to connect job seekers with the right opportunities.

They recently hosted an in-person training for displaced people in Egypt tailored based on the needs of the job market in Egypt. For more info see their page on LinkedIn.

Key Take-aways Points for Business Owners

Starting a Business in Sudan 

• The business market in Sudan is not yet saturated, especially after the war.
• Youth have the energy but lack the knowledge and attitude towards being entrepreneurs.
• The challenging work environment means a more rewarding outcome, in addition to this, the services and products offered by startups and small businesses in times of conflict could be life-saving.
• Starting a business in conflict-affected areas or unstable markets, in general, needs a specific set of tools and skills to manage the business and the risks associated with it. With that said, it is not impossible.
• Businesses need to have the resilience to operate in difficult markets, which boils down to certain strategies and indicators including but not limited to:

1- Adaptability; having a variety of services/products which vary the income streams, thus making it more able to absorb shocks and adapt to changes in the ecosystem.

2- Risk management; different risks faced by businesses could increase in severity; now in Sudan the risk is war and conflict. Every risk has certain tools and a set of requirements to cope with it.

3- Financial stability; one of the most noted challenges in Sudan, is financial literacy, we need to raise awareness about the value of money which is directly connected to the value of effort and time.

For more indicators see this link.

Applying these criteria would make it more feasible to work in difficult and conflict-affected markets, right now some businesses are operating in Khartoum and Darfur region because they exhibit some of these resilience indicators.

Resilience in Startups Compared to Larger Corporations and Businesses

• There are not many large corporations in the private sector in Sudan. The factories in this sector are asset-based, which means they require plants, supply chains, raw materials, and their operations are often more complicated and bureaucratic than those of smaller businesses that are service-based or do not require large assets.
• There are large businesses that faced huge losses as a result of this war but are still operating from different locations, and other large companies are calculating their risks and preparing for the next steps. This is because they demonstrated some of the resilience indicators, most importantly risk management, insurance, and diversity in products and services.
• On the other hand, for people with income generation activities and small businesses, because this activity is their only source of income it creates a great motive to break through in new markets and re-start.
• The absence of larger companies in the market created a gap between demand and supply which presented an opportunity for smaller businesses and startups to break through in the markets.
• It is important to test the market on a small scale before launching the business.
• Also, one of the great ways to minimize the risk of starting a business is having partners, this would allow the risk and reward to be distributed between the partners.

Employment Opportunities in Startups

• Based on a study by the 249Startups team, 90+ jobs were offered by startup businesses in their network of under 20 startups since the beginning of 2024, and 58 of the beneficiaries of these jobs are females.
• Startups do not only create jobs, they also support other jobs by stimulating the supply chain which benefits different people along the chain.
• There’s funding targeting private sector players in Sudan working on agriculture, energy, ICT, and health.
• Some investors are interested in investing in Sudan.

Resilience Case studies for Startups in War:

Healthcare Sector

Mustafa was planning to start a mobile clinic in El-Fashir to provide health services for people in remote areas such as refugee camps and at the cross border. Because of the lack of funding, he started with healthcare campaigns where he would go to certain locations and facilitate the participation of different clinics and companies to offer their services in these locations. This initiative started in the Zamzam refugee camp in Elfashir, but then the war broke out and halted all of their future plans.

The war aggravated the lack of access to healthcare services which created more demand, thus resulted in him establishing a healthcare centre in Zamzam camp. A few months later he established another centre in El-Fashir city. Until now he provides healthcare services to more than 2600 individuals in El-Fashir.

Education Sector

Craft Home is a small business that had a store in Khartoum selling crafts supplies for artists and crafty people. Before the war they were planning on launching a new service that targets children by teaching them life skills through crafts, but the war halted their plans and they found themselves in Wad Madani.

One of the biggest catastrophes of the war is the disruption of the education system, which created a huge demand for alternative education services that targeted children. They launched their first activity in Al-Gadarif. And now they are expanding in other states and the region. In addition to expanding their business portfolio.

Manufacturing

Hassan fled to Al-Hasahisa in Aljazira state because of the war. He decided to use his business and soap-making knowledge and started a small production line for soap and cleaning supplies. In a very short period, he managed to recruit 20+ people and many agents across the different states in Sudan.

He’s also trying to create more sustainable income and jobs for individuals by selling a pre-ready-to-use product to allow people to own the final production step and packaging and benefit from the profit margin.

Agricultural

Mulham wanted to provide smallholder farmers with knowledge and finance, so after the war broke out he moved to Al-Gadarif state and continued working on his project. He is upscaling now and started establishing a farmers’ hub working with 25 agricultural associations and 1000 smallholder farmers.

Solar Energy Tech

The founder who had a thriving business had to flee Sudan because of the conflict, despite having a great base of customers and an amazing portfolio. He was pressured by his customers to return and pursue his business of providing solar energy systems for different clients. He eventually returned to Sudan after studying the different countries in the region and establishing a secure supply chain from the region.

Abroad

Balsam owns a dental clinic management system that was successfully operating in Sudan, after the war they moved to the UAE and are now operating in 3 of the 7 emirates, working with many clinics in the private sector and having a thriving business.

Common Characteristics of Successful Startups

• As mentioned above, successful people always work with partners, partnerships facilitate better connections and as a result better knowledge and updates on the market, they also protect you from the different risks of starting a business.
• Startups observe the gaps in the market and target clear and specific needs to provide communities with targeted solutions.
• They start with a small scale to test and learn from the market before scaling.

You can listen to the full space recording on Soundcloud here.