Exporters and Importers Register’s Controls Critiques

Report – Rehab Abdullah

At the beginning of the new year 2024, the Minister of Trade and Supply, Al-Fatih Abdullah Yousif, issued new controls for extracting the register of exporters and importers. However, these controls were not well received by exporters and importers, and many denounced them, arguing they would in fact hinder exports and imports operations.

New Controls

The decision, obtained by “Sudan Events”, stipulated the provision of a statement from the Trade and Supply Investigations Department, a certificate from the commercial registrar (Arabic-English), in addition to the Memorandum of Association explaining the purposes and specifying the capital, along with an official extract from the Commercial Registrar, in addition to National Record for all shareholders and a clearance certificate from the Taxation Chamber, a discharge certificate from the Zakat Chamber, in addition to a statement of account from the bank in the name of the company, provided that the amount is consistent with the capital indicated in the Memorandum of Association .

While the decision specified the controls for extracting the register of exporters and importers with regard to business names, by presenting a certificate from the Trade and Supply Investigation Department, in addition to a valid license in the name of the business stating the purpose (import, export), signed by the Commercial Registrar, the national number of the business owner, and a clearance certificate from the taxation chamber, in addition to discharge certificate from the Zakat Chamber, a statement of business name and membership in the Chamber of Commerce.

At a time when the decision specified the requirements for issuing a certificate of renewal of the exporters’ and importers’ register for (companies, business names, investments, etc.), all the requirements for issuing the commercial register certificate mentioned in companies, business names, and investments, in addition to a letter from the Central Bank of Sudan not to prohibit the activity during the validity period, the register, the volume of work during the validity period of the register from Customs and the Bank of Sudan not to prohibit activity during the validity period of the register, the volume of work during the validity period of the register.

Widespread critiques  

The Sudanese Employers Association (SEA) criticized the Ministry of Commerce’s issuance of new controls for extracting the register of exporters and importers, and they called on the Minister of Commerce to reconsider these decisions and cancel all procedures that hinder exports and imports. They proposed to the Minister of Commerce to announce the continuation of the previous register until the current war situation subsides, and they added, “The authorities must extend these registers and leave those who want to work without an impediment until the war ends.” They confirmed that the new controls would lead to major problems with imports.

SEA member Muawiyah Aba Yazid told (Sudan Events) that the controls that were announced require the provision of documents and commercial licenses, which he considered impossible in light of the war situation in Khartoum, Gezira, Sinnar, White Nile, Kordufan and Darfur states, and most of the exporters’ official documents are located in Khartoum.

For his part, the former Deputy Secretary-General of the Employers’ Union, Omer Mudawi Mohammed Ahmed, said in a statement to (Sudan Events) that these measures seem to be intended to besiege the country, and to destroy exporters, importers and businessmen, indicating that all businessmen have lost their head offices, documents, property and all assets, and he considered that the government was seeking fees to besiege the homeland and destroy what was left, and he affirmed that the wrong measures under these current circumstances are not less harmful in their impact than the aggressions carried the rebellion.

Mudawi added that he was expecting was for the government to announce encouraging policies, facilities and exemptions so that businessmen could settle their situations and return to work when the war stops.

Hossam Karkasawi, a member of the Businessmen’s Association, says that businessmen have been targeted before and after the war. State policies are based on encouraging brokerage, currency trading, and marginal businesses at the expense of trade and business aimed at development, advancing the economy, creating job opportunities, and developing various resources.