Port Sudan has raised the customs exchange rate to 3,222.80 Sudanese pounds, marking the fifth adjustment in recent months amid continued pressure on the currency and a deepening economic crisis.
The rate had stood at 2,769.06 pounds in late January 2026, while authorities in Port Sudan set it at 2,827 pounds in December 2025. The latest increase continues a series of revisions aimed at narrowing the gap with the parallel market.
Earlier in January, the customs dollar was lifted from 1,700 to 2,000 pounds, followed by successive hikes in the months that followed as officials sought to align the official rate more closely with market realities.
In September 2025, the finance ministry raised the indicative rate by 300 pounds to 2,600, after a period of relative stability at 2,300 pounds. That marked the fourth adjustment in less than six months, at a time when the parallel market rate had already exceeded 3,700 pounds, highlighting a widening gap between official and market exchange rates.
August 2025 saw a brief dip, with the customs rate reduced by 87 pounds to 2,313 following a sharp increase in July that pushed it from 2,000 to 2,400. Despite the temporary decline, the overall trend has remained upward.
The customs dollar is a key factor in determining import costs, meaning any increase directly feeds into higher prices for consumer goods and production inputs. Economists say the repeated adjustments reflect attempts to bring the official rate closer to market conditions, but warn they also drive up import costs and intensify inflationary pressures.
Observers warn the continued increases are likely to erode purchasing power further, particularly as Sudan faces a severe economic crisis. They stress the need for mitigating measures to protect vulnerable groups, alongside calls to halt the use of gold and export revenues to finance the ongoing war.
