Strategic Impact Assessment: A New Tool in achieving Sustainable Development in the Sudan in the wake of the Severance of Southern Sudan

This paper appraises the process and performance of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in the Sudan. The implications of the severance of Southern Sudan on the country’s natural resources and development policies are underscored. The main legislative and institutional constraints of) EIA) efficient application are highlighted, emphasizing its limitations to developmental projects. The new trend in addressing the complicated issues salient to policies, plans and programmes that calls for a higher tier of impact assessment is illustrated. Strategic Environmental Impact Assessments (SEA) which operates at the policies, plans and programmes level is defined. A comparison between (EIA) and (SEA) is portrayed. Justifications for the application of (SEA) in the Sudan and the steps and prerequisites needed are expressed. The institutional and legislative reforms as well as human resources capacity building are underlined