Ministry of Finance, UNDP sign Solar Project Document

Solar Project

Khartoum, May 21 (SUNA) - The Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning has signed with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) the project of solar pumps for the sustain-ability of agriculture in Sudan, River Nile State with a total fund of seven million dollars, 6.4 million dollars from the Korean International Cooperation Organization and 600,000 dollars from UNDP, as well as an in-kind contribution from the Government of Sudan at an estimated cost of $ 1 million. The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning Dr. Abdul-Moneim Mohammed al-Tayeb signed on behalf of the Government of Sudan, while Mr. Silva Rama Chandran, Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Pro-gram in Sudan, signed for the program. The project aims to sustain agriculture by promoting the use of solar energy to irrigate agricultural land rather than diesel pumps as part of enhanc-ing the resilience of individuals to climate change, environmental pressures and natural hazards through the use of clean and renewable energy. The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Finance affirmed the close cooperation between the Government and the United Nations sys-tem in the Sudan for a long time and had a significant impact on supporting development in the Sudan. He praised the Korean International Cooperation Organization for its support of various development areas throughout Sudan and to government counterparts and all implementing partners of the United Nations programs, pointing to the role of the Ministry of Finance leadership in the management and coordination of external aid in line with the national priorities and plans and strategies across the national systems and devices. For his part, Mr. Silva Rama Chandran, Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Program in Sudan said that the project would be implemented in the state of the River Nile funded by the Korean International Cooperation Organization, the United Nations Development Program and the contribution of the Government of Sudan, revealing that the project came as an alter-native to diesel pumps in the framework of enhancing the flexibility of adaptation Individuals with climate change and the use of renewable clean energy.  BH/BH