A proposed US bill is putting Africa’s fifth-largest gold producer, Sudan in focus, seeking to exchange American agricultural and mining technology for access to its gold, uranium, oil and other natural resources.
- A US bill proposes exchanging American agricultural and mining technology for Sudanese gold, uranium, oil, and other resources.
- The Sudan IMPACT Act ties economic cooperation to improvements in civilian protection, political stability, and resource management in Sudan.
- Sudan, Africa’s fifth-largest gold producer, relies heavily on gold exports despite ongoing civil war and instability.
- The partnership would only proceed if Sudan demonstrates measurable progress in protecting civilians and establishing a stable, civilian-led government.
The Sudan IMPACT Act, introduced by Congressman Jim Baird, would make the partnership conditional on demonstrable progress in civilian protection, political stability and responsible resource management, tying potential economic cooperation to improvements in a country still devastated by civil war.
Sudan ranked as Africa’s fifth-largest gold producer in 2025, with output of 74.6 tonnes, according to Metals Focus data published by the World Gold Council. It placed behind Ghana, South Africa, Burkina Faso and Mali, highlighting the importance of gold to Sudan’s resource economy.
Despite the country’s ongoing civil war, gold remains a major source of export earnings and a strategic resource in the proposed US minerals-for-technology partnership.
The proposed legislation, H.R. 10795, would authorise a US-Sudan Agriculture and Minerals Partnership under which Washington would provide equipment, technology and technical assistance in exchange for designated Sudanese minerals.
The bill was referred to the House Foreign Affairs Committee for consideration and has not become law.
According to the bill text, the partnership could only proceed after the US secretary of state determines that a legitimate, civilian-led governing authority in Sudan has made measurable improvements in protecting civilians, reducing violence, maintaining political stability and responsibly managing natural resources.
Baird said the proposal was intended to create economic opportunities while making civilian protection a prerequisite for deeper engagement.
“Economic opportunity could play a major role in helping the Sudanese people build a more peaceful and prosperous country, but protecting civilians must come first,” he said in a statement published by his congressional office.
Gold, uranium and other resources at the centre of the proposal
The legislation identifies gold, uranium, crude oil, chromium, iron, copper, manganese, zinc, silver, nickel and gum arabic among the resources that could be covered by the partnership.
On the American side, the proposed assistance could include farm machinery, precision agriculture, irrigation systems, agricultural processing equipment, mining technology, geological surveying, mine-safety tools, environmental remediation and supply-chain expertise.
The proposal comes as Sudan’s civil war, which began in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, has disrupted economic activity and deepened the humanitarian crisis. Reuters has reported that gold has become a critical source of revenue for both warring parties, while smuggling networks complicate efforts to track the trade.
Sudan’s resource wealth has therefore become both an economic opportunity and a governance challenge. The proposed bill seeks to connect access to those resources with improvements in civilian protection and responsible management, although it does not establish that any deal has been negotiated or that Sudan has agreed to its terms.
Any partnership would depend on the conditions set out in the legislation being met and the bill advancing through the US legislative process.