Abstract This chapter explains the general socioeconomic characteristics of
Sudan and strategic problems for development in the country, and discusses the
impact of oil and the opportunities and challenges for enhancing economic development
in Sudan, the strategic problems facing the labour market in Sudan and
highlighting the need for skill development. This chapter uses new data on population,
employment and unemployment based on Sudan Central Bureau of Statistics
(Fifth Sudan Population and Housing Census 2008, Sudan Central Bureau of
Statistics, Khartoum, 2010) to examine four stylised facts related to the high
unemployment rate; interpretate unemployment crisis from two different endogenous
and exogenous perspectives due to endogenous and exogenous causes; the
high incidence of unemployment among youth population and the large mismatch
between educational qualifications – supply – and labour market requirementsdemand
in Sudan. The findings in this Chapter support the first hypothesis in
Chap. 1 that Sudan needs to promote local skills and local technologies in order
to facilitate implementation of the five strategies of reducing poverty; achieving
economic diversification; reducing unemployment and restructuring the labour
market; building local technological capacity and achieving long-term stabilised,
sustainable and balanced economic growth and development.