The African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved an $87 million grant to help restore food production and rural livelihoods in Sudan, as the country continues to face the compounding effects of armed conflict, climate shocks, and economic collapse.
The funding will support the Boosting Agrifood Systems Resilience Project (BOOST), a programme with a total estimated cost of approximately $100 million. The AfDB’s concessional financing window, the African Development Fund, will provide the $87 million grant, while additional in-kind support valued at around $12.3 million will come from the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP), UN Women, and the CGIAR International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre.
Approved on 22 April 2026, BOOST is designed to increase food production and availability while expanding agribusiness opportunities for women and young people. Implementation will focus on key agricultural areas, including Blue Nile, Sennar and Kassala, regions that host large numbers of displaced people and remain central to the national food supply.
Under the project, farmers will receive improved seeds and access to climate-smart technologies aimed at raising yields, closing supply gaps, and reducing dependence on food imports. Investment in post-harvest storage and processing infrastructure is also included to reduce food losses and improve market access for agricultural produce.
The programme is expected to reach over 1.2 million people, including more than 232,000 farming households, while creating jobs across rural communities. A dedicated component focuses on giving women and young people access to training, financial services, and digital tools to help them build small agribusinesses.
The AfDB is partly funding the project by redirecting unused resources from earlier cancelled operations, enabling faster deployment of support to where it is most urgently needed.
AfDB Country Manager for Sudan David Muthusi Mutuku said the project aims to deliver practical support at a time of profound hardship, helping farmers rebuild livelihoods and strengthening resilience in communities under severe strain.
Sudan has been gripped by conflict since April 2023, when fighting broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, triggering one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises and displacing millions of people across farming regions that were previously among Africa’s most productive.
