Nader Al-Hilali: Gum Arabic Is a Sovereign Strategic Asset
Nader Al-Hilali, former president of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and former secretary-general of the Gum Arabic Exporters Division, stated that gum arabic is not merely an export commodity, but a sovereign strategic asset if properly leveraged.
He said this importance can be intelligently utilized through organized pressure on global companies that cannot do without gum arabic, urging them to direct a substantial portion of their corporate social responsibility contributions—estimated at billions of dollars annually—toward Sudan. He added that the number of such companies is significant.
Al-Hilali noted that if Sudan succeeds in this approach, it would secure the maximum possible return from a strategic product, in addition to the natural economic gains from exports and efforts to increase global demand.
He stressed that achieving this goal requires both individual initiative and institutional action, with the participation of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Trade, Agriculture, and Forestry, Sudan’s embassies abroad, and the private sector, through a high-level committee capable of engaging the world in the language of interests.
He added that in-depth research he previously conducted revealed to him that gum arabic’s strategic importance is no less than that of semiconductors—resources that major powers today use as leverage to protect their strategic interests.
“This is where the most important truth lies,” he said. “There is no relationship between the economic value of gum arabic and its strategic importance. No matter how high its economic value may be, it amounts to zero when compared to its strategic weight.”
