This paper discusses the education, training and skill development policies in Sudan using a
combination of new secondary and primary data. A novel element in our paper is that we use
new primary macro and micro (firm) surveys data to discuss and compare the macro and
micro perspectives concerning policies implemented to improve skill upgrading through
enhancing the educational system, provision of training and transfer of knowledge. Different
from the Sudanese literature, an interesting element in our analysis is that we discuss both the
supply and demand sides of educational policies and we provide a more comprehensive
analysis by explaining the low commitment to the standardised international adequacy, equity
and efficiency criterion related to the supply and demand sides of education and training
policies in Sudan. We provide a new contribution and fill important gap in the Sudanese
literature by explaining that the regional disparity in the demand for education (share in
enrolment in education) is most probably due to economic reasons (per capita income and
poverty rate), demographic reasons (share in total population) and other reasons (degree of
urbanization) in Sudan. We find that the increase in the incidence of high poverty rate and
low per capita income seem to be the most important factor limiting the demand for
education, notably, the demand for primary education, especially for females in Sudan. The
major policy implication from our findings is that poverty eradication is key for the
achievement of universal access to primary education and gender equality and therefore,
fulfillment of the second and third United Nations Millennium Development Goals in Sudan
by 2015. We recommend further efforts to be made to improve quality, increase firm
commitment to the standardised international adequacy, equity and efficiency criterion in the
provision of education and training, increase incentives at tertiary and technical education,
enhance consistency of education, training and skill development policies and encourage
collaboration between public and private sectors.