Applying a Simple SWOT Analysis to Sudan

Posted on July 31, 2007
Filed Under Sudan |

The following is a simple SWOT analysis applied to Sudan. The S/W and O/T sections aren’t strictly within internal/external contexts.

Strengths:

- A huge and abundant amount of natural resources.
- Enormous expanses of fertile land.
- Diverse wild life.
- A highly-skilled and well-educated large Diaspora.
- Ancient sites and ruins dating back thousands of years to the Nubian Civilization.
- Unique geographic location.
- Afro-Arab identity.

Weaknesses:

- Underdeveloped infrastructure.
- High illiteracy rate and underdeveloped human capital.
- Extremely poor leadership.
- Rampant corruption.
- Lack of human rights.
- Lack of rule of law.
- Extreme disparity in wealth allocation.
- Ongoing identity crisis.
- Widespread tribalism.
- Victimhood mentality thanks to post-colonial hangover.

Opportunities:

- Attracting tons of foreign investment.
- Developing vast oil reserves.
- Big biotechnology and agricultural initiatives.
- Tourism (Red Sea resorts, developing Ancient Nubian ruins, wild life parks etc.)
- Port Sudan, a stopping location for ships passing in and out of the Suez Canal.
- Economic growth that is not reliant solely on oil.
- Bridging Africa and the Arab world.

Threats:

- Potential rebellions breaking out elsewhere besides Darfur.
- Possibility of war breaking out again if South decides to separate.
- China hindering democratic progress.
- More US sanctions.
- Intervention in Darfur.
- Increasing sectarianism and tribalism.
- The continuing spread of HIV/AIDS.
- al-Qaeda.
- Sharing our endless border with 9 countries.

http://www.dubaipolice.gov.ae/dp/portal/public/upload_images/static_pages_images/E-Services/Sudan-map.jpg

Comments

8 Responses to “Applying a Simple SWOT Analysis to Sudan”

  1. Roman Kalik on July 31st, 2007 6:46 pm

    That’s a very interesting, short and to-the-point analysis, Drima, many thanks. Isn’t having multiple unclosable borders a weakness rather than a threat, though? And the people exploiting this being the actual threat?

    Also, I had yet to see a marketing model applied to a country, and it seems to work quite wells.

  2. Drima on July 31st, 2007 6:58 pm

    “Isn’t having multiple unclosable borders a weakness rather than a threat, though? And the people exploiting this being the actual threat?”

    Hmmm, good point. Ya, I think that’s a better way of looking at it.

    “Also, I had yet to see a marketing model applied to a country, and it seems to work quite wells.”

    I read a lot of things related to entrepreneurship and business in general, especially marketing (and to a lesser extent also sociology, social entrepreneurship and strategic management). The lens I tend to observe things through is largely influenced by what I read.

    Sudan is my company. Other countries are my competitors in the global economy and my cultural/religious beliefs inform my business ethics.

  3. Drima on July 31st, 2007 7:17 pm

    Btw, applying a SWOT analysis to a country isn’t a new concept.

  4. Roman Kalik on July 31st, 2007 7:51 pm

    I’m not surprised, really, but it’s still the first time I see it applied in such a manner. I only took that marketing course because I needed the academic credit.

  5. JMac on August 1st, 2007 12:11 am

    Hi Drima, I enjoyed this as well. Very interesting and creative. Thanks for sharing!

  6. Andrew Brehm on August 1st, 2007 2:07 pm

    I would also list as a weakness the wide-spread anti-Semitism.

    And compare Sudan with Kazakhstan.

    They use Islam to their advantage, as part of their culture. They have a sad past and can blame the Soviet Union for everything, from taking away their freedoms to destroying the environment.

    Yet Kazahstan is doing extremely well, has diplomatic relations with western countries and Israel, and despite Borat one doesn’t really hear anything bad about the place (but we do know that one can make fun of them without being murdered).

    From Wikipedia:

    “Notwithstanding its membership in the Organization of the Islamic Conference, Kazakhstan has good relations with Israel. Diplomatic relations were established in 1992 and President Nazarbayev paid official visits to Israel in 1995 and 2000. In 2006, during a state visit by Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister Karim Masimov, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert remarked, Kazakhstan can show a beautiful face of Islam … Contemporary, ever-developing Kazakhstan is a perfect example of both economic development and interethnic accord that should be followed by more Muslim states. Bilateral trade between the two countries amounted to $724 million in 2005.”

    See? This is how you become rich and powerful. The only thing that holds Sudan back is its population! I am sorry, but that is the truth.

    Nobody in the west stops Sudan from developing. Just do what smart countries do: tell Israel you have oil and want irrigation systems. (And while you are at it you will get excellent relations with the US and EU for free plus a good supplier of weapons and any other technology you might need.)

    Kazakhstan is not perfect, they apparently have issues with their attitude towards Hindus and perhaps other minorities (not, apparently, Jews though). But Kazakhstan is, I think, an excellent example of what can be done.

    It seems like Soviet communism and Islam have created a culture and society that is well capable of great success! Communism protected Kazakhstan from the modern heresies coming out of Saudi Arabia and Iran and Islam protected Kazakhstan from the amorality that came with atheistic communism.

    I do not see a bright future for Sudan.

    Sorry.

  7. kizzie on August 6th, 2007 7:58 pm

    I really like it. In fact, I’m printing it out!

  8. lipingtababa on August 14th, 2007 6:00 pm

    As a Chinese, I am sad to see that China contributes to the Threats rather than the Opportunities.

    We Chinese people share the same problems with our Sudan friends:
    - Rampant corruption.
    - Lack of human rights.
    - Lack of rule of law.
    - Extreme disparity in wealth allocation.

    Hope someday we can get rid of them.

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