ABSTRACT
This chapter investigates the nature of business and government relations in Sudan. The relationship between government and business is neither laissez faire nor socialist, but rather a combination of both. This integration of both is called a mixed economy. The mixed economy concept argues that business and society have many nonmarket interactions, as there are social influences on business stemming from cultural and political forces in society, while business also has an influence on the political life and culture of any society. One of the mechanisms of business and government relations in Sudan is direct foreign investment in the country, especially due to the large exploration of petroleum by foreign multinational corporations. Sudan enjoys preferential access to major industrial markets and is a member of several important regional free trade agreements, such as the Greater Arab Free Trade Area (GAFTA) and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) free trade agreement (FTA).
