BBC Monitoring

Text of report in English by Sudanese news agency Suna website

[Unattributed report: "Minister of Information and Communication Concludes Visit to China"]

Sudan: Minister of Information and Communication Concludes Visit to China

Khartoum, 16 Nov. (SUNA) -The Minister of Information and Communication, Al-Zahawi Ibrahim Malik, has concluded a week-long visit to China during which he signed contracts for implementing projects in Sudan at the cost of US 49 million dollars, through funding by a Chinese technology company.

In a press statement upon his return at Khartoum Airport, the minister said that the projects that were signed represent a qualitative progress in the infrastructures of the electronic government and education in Sudan.

The Director of the National Information Council, Engineer Siddiq Ahmad, said that the signed agreements include the establishment of a digital information centre at the National Telecommunication Council, transforming 530 schools into smart schools, linking the administrations of ! the ministry of information and communication through an electronic network, completing the second stage of the Technological Document House and hall of the Council of Ministers.

He said that soft funding was received for implementation of these projects for a period of three years.

Source: Suna news agency website, Khartoum, in English 16 Nov 07