ABSTRACT
Sudanese economic patterns contrast with most of the other Arab states; some 65 per cent of the labour force is in agriculture, and over 60 per cent of the value of exports is accounted for by cotton. The Sudan therefore straddles the Arab Negro boundary which has led to much internal political upheaval, culminating in the acceptance by Khartoum of a virtually autonomous body to run the southern provinces. The Sudan is placed in a very difficult position from the point of view of manpower planning. The modern sector labour market has passed quickly from surplus to shortage, but there is a real possibility, in the event of a return of migrants, that surpluses will reappear, especially if the Sudan’s own development plan has not been especially successful. The Sudan is a typical neo-colonial African country, with high rates of under- and unemployment. Its pattern of economic development has been dominated by the quest for jobs.
