Assessing the Consequences of the Economic Partnership Agreement on the Economy of Sudan

African Trade Policy Centre, UNECA, ATPC Work in Progress No. 68, September 2007

The assessment provides an in-depth analytical work aimed at informing the government of Sudan on
the impact of the EPA on Sudan’s economy for ensuring maximum benefits from the ongoing EPA
negotiations with the EU. The study endeavors to quantify economic and social impacts of the trade
liberalization aspects proposed by the EPA for Sudan. Beside quantitative assessment of the likely
implications of the EPA, the study discusses relevant policy issues for Sudan to maximize its benefits
from the agreement.
The study is organized in four different sections. Following the introduction section that presents the
background of the EPA negotiations, section 2 analyses the macroeconomic environment of Sudan as
well as trade policy and recent trade performance. The third section covers the empirical and technical
work. Seven different kinds of scenarios are tested through the simulations undertaken with the model
developed by the World Bank and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, WITS/
SMART. The last section provides the conclusions and policy recommendations of the study.

Author(s): Nassim Oulmane, Hakim Ben Hammouda, Adam Elhiraika, Islam Swaleh