Southern Sudan

"As the global credit crunch and higher risk profile constrict capital investment from Europe and North America, capital may come from a region that was historically closely allied to Sudan’s north: The Arab world is expressing keen interest in Sudan’s potential as an agriculture production centre. With large swaths of land and underground water reserves, the region is ideally suited to grow a variety of crops. In 2007, Libya and Jordan created dedicated agro funds to explore the region’s potential. These efforts could soon be mirrored by the Emirates and Qatar, both keen on securing new supplies of agricultural products – and the latter is currently engaging in a large-scale land deal for agricultural production in neighbouring Kenya. Like the Arab states, China is also refocusing its attention southward eager to expand an already existing investment of USD8bn in Sudan’s oil production."