And say: “Work (righteousness): Soon will Allah observe your work, and His Messenger, and the Believers: Soon will ye be brought back to the knower of what is hidden and what is open: then will He show you the truth of all that ye did.”

An Introduction to Omgozain Region

Republic of Sudan

North Kordofan State

West Bara Locality

Omkredem Administrative Unit

Omgozain Region

Facts and Prospects

Prepared by:

Higher Committee for the Development of Omgozain Region

اضغط هنا للنسخة العربية

Foreword

This website aims at introducing Omgozain region and drawing the attention of the local, state and central authorities to their administrative and development responsibilities towards the local population. It also aims at drawing the attention of the local, regional and international charitable and humanitarian organizations to the fact that there exist in this world those who desperately need a drop of water, and a dose of medicine, an educational book, along with safety and security, so that they may feel valued as human beings whom Almighty Allah has honored from above seven heavens to inhabit and populate the earth.

Accordingly, the Higher Development Committee of Omgozain region is pleased to provide the reader, philanthropists, authorities, responsible parties, and all those concerned, with this introductory website to get acquainted with the region, the needs of its residents, and the investment opportunities available therein.

We are pleased to remain in contact with you and respond to any queries you may raise, hoping you will always find us as you wish!

Best regards,

May Almighty Allah bless you all.

Higher Committee for the Development of Omgozain Region

Contacts

Hamid Shayban +249912314459

Yasir Mohammad Bashir +249122344447

Abd-Albaghi Hamza +966583955244

Alraiyah Mohammad Adam +249100565575

Najmaddin Mahboub +249912257141

Email elriahadam1974@gmail.com

Website www.omgozain.com

Our Vision

Building a strong membership consisting of the region’s population who predominantly believe in the culture of team work (Nafeer) and belonging, the culture that seeks to organize and use the available resources and capabilities, and seeks to introduce the region in order to provide the necessary services in the various villages of the region so that its people can live a decent life.
Distancing the region and its tribes from any harmful or negative polarization.

Our Mission

Organizing ourselves from within and working together for the achievement of sustainable environmental, social, cultural and economic development of our region through unity of rank and opinion

Our Values

Our values manifest themselves in a set of principles required to be honored in the process of the development of the region. These principles are:

Respecting our Islamic beliefs and values
Respecting all people without discrimination
Observing honesty and trustworthiness
Rejecting favoritism and bribery

Promoting the culture of teamwork and self-denial in serving the region

Our Objectives

Our objectives are embodied in the purpose of forming the Higher Committee for the development of the region, which seeks to achieve it through the formulation of the strategic and operational plans of the committee

From the above, we conclude that:

Our vision

is the aspiration or desire that the Higher Development Committee seeks to bring to fruition within a specific period.

Our mission

is inherent in the methods or means necessary to achieve the vision.

Our values

guide the regulations and by-laws that organize the role and tasks of the Committee to achieve the mission.

Our objectives

are the way we follow to formulate the strategic and operational plans of the Higher Development Committee of the region

Overview of North Kordofan, Republic of Sudan

Basic information

Area: (191057) km2. According to the 2020 census, total population of the State is 2,760,441, of which 1,326,508 are males and 1,433,933 are females, with a percentage of 48.56% out of the total population of Kordofan region, which also consists the states of South and West Kordofan, whose population is estimated at 5,684,470, i.e., 6.71% of the total population of Sudan (that amounts to 41,138,904). Thus, North Kordofan State ranks number 5 in terms of population density (14 persons per km2. The State has 8 localities: Shikan, Umm Rawaba, Al-Rahd, Umm Dam Haj Ahmed, Bara, West Bara, Sodari, and Jabrat Al-Sheikh.

The state of North Kordofan is one of the central states of Sudan. Its climate ranges from medium savanna to semi-desert, and the vegetation becomes denser as we go into the south. It is a large state, sharing borders with six states: the Northern State from the north, the State of North Darfur from the northwest, the White Nile State from the east, Khartoum State from the northeast, and South and West Kordofan states from the south

The State has considerable surface and underground water resources. The amounts of rainfall vary from one region to another, directly affected by geological, topographical and climatic factors. The chances of exploiting surface water resources are greater in the south of the State than in the north due to the nature of the surface and the amount of rain that ranges from 25 to150 mm in the north of the state to reach 400-600 mm in the south.

The State hosts the largest crops market in Sudan, in El-Obeid city. Gum Arabic is one of the most significant crops, which tops the list of Sudan’s 6 exports. The State is also rich in livestock, agricultural and mineral wealth. 67% of the state's population depends on agricultural activity, 13% depends on pastoral activity, and 20% depends on industrial and commercial activity. The state contributes an estimated percentage of the total comparatively-advantaged non-oil exports, and it ranks first in camel exports with 30%. Its crop production contributes estimated (65%) percentages of the gross national product (GNP), especially the production of millet, sorghum, gum Arabic,Sesame watermelon seeds, peanuts, and hibiscus crops, The State also has a special advantage in forest products and crops (like gum arabic, senna leaves “sanamakkah”, baobab “tabaldi”, tamarind “ardaib”, sidr, lalube, tinnas grewia “quddaim”, etc.).

Geographical location and population of Omgozain region in the State

Location: Omgozain is located northwest of El-Obeid city - the capital of North Kordofan State - at a distance ranging between 50-70 km on Um Kredem- Al-Mazroub-Sudari road. It is bordered to the north by the tribes of Al-Jawamaah - Al-Farahnah - Al-Jiledat - Al-Ma'alia - Al-Masaba'at - AlMa'aqlah - Al-Bishariyah - Al-Majanin - and Dar Hamed, to the east by the Kenanah and Al-Shuwayhat tribes, to the south by Al-Bidayriyah, and to the west by Hamar tribes. It represents a congregation of as many as about 45 villages of which Omgozain is the most important because of the availability 7 of potable water in it. The region takes advantage of this geographical location due to its proximity to the city of El-Obeid, which hosts the largest market for crops in Sudan, especially Gum Arabic, which tops the list of Sudan's exports

A - Villages of the region

Omgozain region consists of the following villages: Omgozain, AlSammagha, Zandiya, Nara, Omkammar, Shaka, Um Dhawanban, Mufareh, Arfaa Sadrak, Rijal Banu, Omalaq Wad Al-Baqa, Omalaq, Wad Al-Badri, Hillat Al-Diqail, Hillat Abu Aisha, Al-Jawama’a, Omhubila, Omarbaa, Omqussah, Zarruqa, Al-Dibija Abu Hamid, Al-Dibija Abu Eid, Wadshrbaeed, Iyal Abu AlQasim, Eleqa, Omkammar Al-Ma’aqla, Al-Himyar, Zaqalona, Omghabbouj, Mutairid, Omsheita (Al-Faki Madawi), Hillat Bilal, Al-Bawabi Dafaallah, Hillat Hamad Al-Majanin, Abu Khaba, Al-Bawabi Ballah, Murkaz, Lammena, Halfa, Hillat Al-Tinnairi, Wad Al-Jed, Hillat Mukhtar, Ali Musa Megawer, Omheglig, Hillat Saleh...etc. ). Some of the most important villages of AlBazaa are: Omgozain, Omkammar, Mufrreh, Al-Sammagha, Nara, Zindiya, Shakka, Omdawanban, Wad Al-Baqa, Wad Al-Badri, Om Heglig, Arfaa Sadrak, and Al-Rijal Banu.

B - Tribes of the region

This area is inhabited by several tribes, namely: Al-Bazaa, Al-Jawama’ah, AlZiyadiyah, Al-Nawahiyyah, Al-Hababin, Al-Ma’aqlah, Al-Farahnah, Al-Jilidat, Al Majaneen, ect. Al-Bazaa tribe is the largest in terms of area and 8 population. All these tribes live in harmony and peace, and the social fabric is an example worthy of being followed in the State

C - Region’s administrative accountability

Most of the villages in the region report to the locality of West Bara and administratively to Omkredem administrative unit that lies as far as 10-15 km away from it. Omgozain region is one of the most important sources of income for Omkredem administrative unit from the south. The mayorship (locally known as omodiya) is vested in the region’s native administration where, Mayor Hamad Al-Nil Mohammed Salih Al-Hajj Yusuf Al-Shum, has been elected to this post since 1980 after separating the mayorship of AlBazaa tribe that lives in the Omgozain region from their general mayorship that used to be exercised distantly from Al-Sidr region in the south of Bara. The number of sheikhs who presently report to Mayor Hamad al-Nil is 32 sheikhs.

Economic activity of the population

A - The residents of the region depend economically on seasonal rain-fed agriculture and, as a cash crops, they grow sesame, millet and corn as main food, and hibiscus, peanuts and watermelon. Additionally, they rely on gum Arabic as a cash crop in summer.

B - They breed livestock that consists of sheep, camels, goats and cows. For a considerable percentage of the proportion, such wealth represents an additional, if not the main, source of income.

C - In recent years, most young people have turned to mining activity, especially gold, in the northern regions of Sudan - Abu Hamad region - and other regions in South and West Kordofan and Darfur. As a result, many of them benefited and their village lifestyle witnessed significant changes.

D - It is worth mentioning here that the years of drought and desertification in the eighties of the last century led to massive displacement and migration from villages to cities, especially the capital (Khartoum) and other large cities! This undoubtedly affected the village life and thus generated a lack of interest in the traditional economy. This made it imperative for the central and state government to find appropriate solutions to these harmful effects so that the citizens may settle in the region and contribute more to the gross domestic product (GDP), and eventually the gross national product (GNP)!

E - Trade movement is active among the population through the weekly local markets (at present, the region has more than 4 markets: Omgozain, Omkammar, Alega, Al Himair,...)

Difficult supply of water and basic services

Like other regions in the state of North Kordofan in particular, and Sudan in general, the region, suffers from the scarcity, if not the lack, of all services 10 necessary for human life, such as water, health, education, and security. These difficulties are summarized as follows:

1 - Scarcity of drinking water

Omgozain village is the only source of drinking water for humans and animals in the region, which dates to the nineteenth century with its currently known borders. Therefore, all the region’s villages count on Omgozain underground wells for their water supply. Currently, the means of water supply are:

6 water-drawing pumps (locally called “donkey engines”), 4 of which belong to private investors.
5 artesian wells.

For this reason, citizens, especially those who live far away from the water source, suffer a lot in summer, as the quest for drinking water turns into heavy burden on the citizen's budget, for one barrel of drinking water could cost 1000 Sudanese pounds or more!! It is worth mentioning that the remote villages depend entirely on the investors’ 50-barrel tanker trucks! and this is considered, as we mentioned above, a major drawback on the stability and productivity of the citizen!!

Furthermore, Omgozain region represents an important source of drinking water for nomadic tribes and their livestock, such as the Shanabilah, Kababeesh, and Dar Hamed tribes, who pass through Omgozain on a journey to the south in search of water and pasture (commonly known as Noshuq). This puts great pressure on the sources of the scarce water resources, and thus increases the suffering of the citizen.

2 - Education

A. Despite the scarcity of water, certain villages were able to build primary schools through their own efforts so that their children would not miss the opportunity for education that their parents missed! There are currently about 10 primary schools in the region, but they suffer from a terrible shortage of healthy buildings, seating, and of qualified teachers!!!

B. Despite the expansion of the geographical area of the region, there is no secondary school for either boys or girls in Omgozain region, so the people of the region inside and outside Sudan, in April 2021, built a secondary school for girls with their own efforts at a cost that exceeded 80 billion Sudanese pounds. The school has already been inaugurated and started its activities for the academic year 2022/2023. The operating expenses are still paid by the people of the region.

3 - Health Services

A. Health, like other essential utilities services, has no share in the region's lexicon!! Health services are almost non-existent, as there are only two old health care units in Omgozain and Omkammar, without rehabilitation and without medicines!! Unlike first aid, which does not amount to being called first aid!!! Not to mention hospitals and clinics. Accordingly, due to the absence of health care, the rate of morbidity and mortality rate are very high!!!

B- As for veterinary care, it is non-existent despite the presence of livestock. Herders and livestock breeders suffer from severe shortage of veterinary medicines! Which significantly affects animal productivity in the region

4 - Security

There is only one police station in the entire Omgozain region, and it lacks the minimum-security elements such as qualified human cadres and other security aids such as a police car and a court that decides on minor problems that arise among citizens! Finally, and with continuous follow-up from the Committee, the court has been approved and is awaiting its inauguration by the competent authorities to carry out its duties. Despite this, thanks to Almighty Allah and the cooperation of citizens, no significant disputes arise! However, care is necessary, and the security of the citizen and the region is an important factor for stability.

Points of Strengths in the region

Although the region has suffered, and is still suffering, from weakness and lack of necessary services for humans and animals, it takes pride in having significant strengths that can contribute to its development, and these strengths points include:

Proximity to the capital of the state, locality and administrative unit.
The region is rich in natural resources and agricultural land that is suitable for investment (the agriculture is seasonal and the land suitable for the growth of acacia trees that produce the best types of Gum Arabic worldwide). The inhabitants also breed sheep, camels, goats, and cattle.
There is an emerging generation that is aware, educated and enthusiastic about the advancement of the region and improving the level of its services.

The diffusion of Khalawi (informal schools of the Holy Quran):

A - The region has been famous for its close association with the construction of the houses of Allah and the establishment of the khalawi of the Holy Quran since the inhabitants settled in this region. And among the most famous and oldest of these khalawi was that of al-Faqih Sakak, may Almighty Allah have mercy on him, during the Mahdiyah era, where the pious man focused on teaching and inculcating the Holy Qur’an in his well-known khalawa, 5 km of West of Omgozain, where his tomb and the cemetery of his companions lay. This khalwa graduated many students who studied the sciences of the holy Qur’an. However, it stopped to be active a long time ago as the population migrated elsewhere. With the passage of time, the khalwi spread in the villages of the region with public efforts, the most famous of which is late Haj Musa’s khalawa in the village of Mufarreh, west of Omgozain, which was run by his sons after him (late Ahmed Hajj Musa and Haj Hassan Mohammed Mufarreh, may Allah have mercy on them). More than 160 students learned the Qur’an in recitation and interpretation, and are currently teaching and leading worshipers in various cities of Sudan and even outside Sudan, specifically in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Additionally, young people in the village of Mufarreh have now begun to construct a modern mosque to accommodate many learners at their own expense. Teachers in this mosque will be, as they have always been, some of the people of the region who have studied jurisprudence, hadith and other Quranic sciences in universities and Islamic institutes in Sudan.

B- Among the other villages in the region that paid special attention to the khalawi of the Qur’an is the village of Eleqah, which lies north of Omgozain, on the Omkredem road, where the inhabitants of the village established mosques and khalawi at their own expense. These khalawi graduated more than 200 memorizers of the Qur’an, some of whom are famous in large cities like El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan, and Omdurman, where they became mosque imams.

C - The same happened in other villages, such as Omgozain, Omkammar, Nara, Al-Samagha, Omheglij, Morkaz, Al-Dobeja, Al-Himair...etc. however, all of them need support to carry on with their mission.

D - Also, one of the people of the region, the late Sheikh Ahmed Abdullah Oboudi, established an Islamic center in Omdurman - the national capital - and the center is known today as Wad Omgozain Islamic Center. Sheikh Ahmed’s son, Sheikh Moaz Abdullah Ahmed Oboudi is presently in charge of the Center where more than 200 students study and memorize the Holy Quran.

Establishment of the Omgozain Charity Organization, which was officially registered on January 10, 2022 in accordance with the Voluntary Work Law of 2006 in the state of North Kordofan, under which sub-associations in the region and in all cities of Sudan and abroad are included. The Organization has played an important role, which we will discuss later

Urgent needs of the region residents

In the light of the above-mentioned weaknesses and lack of necessary services for humans and animals, the higher Development Committee believes that, according to the field survey it conducted in all the villages of the region, the following facilities and services are urgent:

3 water-drawing pumps (donkey engines) to supply public facilities - schools –polyclinics - police station and court).
There is an urgent need to rebuild all the existing schools with durable material. It is unfortunate that even the existing schools are mostly built from short-lived material that do not protect from heat, cold or rain; their walls are falling apart and have no utilities or seating accommodation. Likewise, there is no a single secondary school for boys in the entire region. Omgozain Secondary School for Girls is the only existing school that was constructed by popular effort. It was approved and registered in the high-school educational system for the academic year 2022/2023
Construction of a secondary school for boys in Omgozain
3 units of solar energy for the secondary school for girls and the khalawi of the Qur’an in each of Eleqa and Mufarreh.
2 artesian wells with water storage tanks to provide water for the people of the region and their livestock in Omgozain.
12 polyclinics for each of Omgozain, Eleqah, Omkammar, Al-Samagha, Nara, Zindiya, Mufarreh, Al-Himair, Arfaa Sadrak, Shaka, Umdawaban, etc.
Re-build Wad Omgozain Islamic Centefir in Omdurman, Ombaddah locality. There is also a need to build mosques in various villages.
Build 5 veterinary centers for livestock in each of Omgozain, Eleqah, Omkammar, Nara, and Mufarreh).
Build a center for agricultural services to control crop-damaging insects and pests and to secure improved grain seeds and seedlings of acacia and fruit trees, and to combat desertification and overgrazing.
Establish sports, cultural and social club and a football playground in Omgozain.
Establish a rest house in Omgozain.

Threats facing the region

In addition to the shortage, that Omgozain region suffers in various basic services and scarcity of drinking water, it faces several threats that can be summarized as follows:

a. People displacement and their migration to the urban areas.

b. There are no serious stability programs by the responsible authorities to help people to settle in their villages

c. Lack of interest and attention by authorities to introduce development projects in the region.

Self-efforts of the people of the region

Taking into consideration their responsibility towards the development of the region, representatives of all villages in the region held a meeting on December 18, 2020, in which they agreed to form a higher committee for the development of the region, and the members were elected, who immediately began developing a vision for the Higher Committee, Finance Committee, and their organizational structures.

According to the perception, one of the duties of the committees is to identify and develop plans, policies and methods related to the various region’s development activities, as well as defining the operational steps to be adopted by officials and workers in the committee.

A roadmap has also been drawn that describes in detail how to achieve the goals of the Higher Development Committee for Omgozain region. Specifically, the goals were meant to be measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound usually set for new businesses or services. This means that the road map is an essential tool that should be available for any activity in 17 the region, including a detailed description of the works or services and stating how the committee intends to achieve its objectives

The roadmap for the committee also includes forecasts for revenues and expenses, taking into account the practical aspects of the idea behind developing a roadmap, which is to enable the members of the higher committee to get a more specific perspective of the potential costs and barriers to some underlying business decisions and to adjust plans accordingly before implementation

To achieve this, the Higher Development Committee approved the organizational structure after coordination with the Finance Committee. It includes:

A. Defining the committee's policies in everything related to securing services for the region, identifying the competent committee and assigning it the work that must be carried out.

B. Assigning the afore-mentioned committees to perform their work, in order to confirm the principle of specialization in distributing responsibilities and enhancing work efficiency, which allows each committee to devote itself to its assigned job with complete confidence in order to support and subscribe to the completion of the work of other committees.

C. Determining the course of procedures for all the listed and defined tasks and placing them under the responsibility of a specific person, determining the responsibility for each step, and determining the method and means of its implementation.

D. Proposing the approach that must be followed regarding the development of the region’s business.

Projects accomplished by the Committee and others awaiting accomplishment

With Almighty Allah’s grace and success, and since the formation of the Committee in 2020, the Committee has started to organize its work and made the necessary contacts with the people of the region and enlightened them on the importance of solidarity and unity so that it can implement its plans as required. After numerous deliberations with some of those interested in the development process in the region from inside and outside Sudan, it was agreed to start the construction of the secondary school for girls in the village of Omgozain, where the Finance Committee made several calls and appeals for the importance of teamwork and promotion of the culture of mobilization (Nafeer) among the parents and members, which found a good response. It was able to collect good amounts, which enabled it to prepare the engineering drawings by engineers from the region and then those drawings were submitted to the responsible government agencies in the state for approval

Immediately upon the approval of the official authorities, the Committee concluded an agreement with the contractor and agreed with him to start implementing the construction works. During a specified period, the first phase was implemented, according to which the criteria of the Ministry were met, which qualified the school to be part of the education system in the state, and therefore teachers were appointed for it and the academic year 2022/2023 began. However, despite the cost, which amounted in total to more than 80 billion Sudanese pounds, the operating expenses still represent a heavy burden on the Higher Development Committee, which required the Finance Committee to make repeated calls for people to give a hand and solicit donations from the loyal people of the region.

It is worth mentioning here that the governmental, local and administrative agencies have almost no contribution, which makes us constantly and continuously remind of the importance of looking into the policies followed in the field of education, which is the backbone for the advancement of nations!

Furthermore, the progress of a country can be measured by what it spends on “creating” a successful teacher, raising its human resources, cultivating seriousness in them and caring for their decisions, and not by what it owns 19 in terms of gold, diamonds and oil. However, the imperative factor is the level of education output that will determine the strength and wealth of future nations, not the income from natural resources, knowledge and skills are the currency of the future.

Projects that the Higher Development Committee intends to implement in the future are as follows

A- 5 artesian wells with water storage tanks (locally called donkey engine), 3 for government facilities - schools –polyclinics - police station and court) and 2 for providing water to the people of the region and their livestock.

B- A secondary school for boys in Omgozain, and building and rehabilitating other schools in different villages

C- 3 solar energy units for the girls’ secondary school and the Khalawi of Qur’an in the villages of Eleqa, Mufarreh, and Wad Omgozain Islamic Center in Omdurman, Ombaddah District, West Omdurman

D- One polyclinic in each of Omgozain, Eleqah, Omakmmar, AlSammagha, Nara, Zindiyeh, Mufarreh, Al-Himair, Arfaa Sadrak, Shaka, and Omdawanban.

E- Reforestation of the area with acacia, which produces the finest types of Gum Arabic. These forests have been negatively affected in recent years by desertification factors and over logging for charcoal production (many studies have been carried out with the aim of restoring acacia trees to the area that was famous for producing Gum Arabic - the study is available at the Ministry of Agriculture - Forest Department).

F- Construction of Wad Omgozain Islamic Center in Omdurman, Ombaddah locality.

G- Fruit and vegetable farm in Omgozain.

H- Agricultural and veterinary research centers in each of (Omgozain Eleqah, Omakmmar,, Nara, and Mufrreh) in order to provide services for the prevention of insects and pests and to provide improved seeds for grain and seedlings of acacia trees (Arabic Gum), fruits and others, because the subject of agriculture and plant protection is completely neglected

I- Sports, cultural and social club and a football playground in Omgozain.

J- Construction of a modern and well-furnished rest house in Um Omgozain.

Note: (To obtain estimates for completion or launching one of the mentioned projects, please refer to the Finance Committee)

Investment opportunities in the region

As for the investment opportunities that the Committee calls for and hopes to be seized, whether by the people of the region or other investors, they are available all over the region because it represents largest southern part of Omkredem administrative unit, and its climate and soil are suitable for such projects as:

A. Raising sheep and goats.

B. Arabic Gum

C. Vegetable farm in Omgozain.

D. Calves breeding.

E. Cultivating of sesame, peanuts and hibiscus.

F. Cultivating watermelons in expansive areas in the autumn.

The products of the above investment opportunities are among the most significant agricultural and livestock projects that contribute to the settlement and stability of the region's population; in addition to that, they will generate income for the investor and represent an important tributary for the Sudanese economy.

Urgent call and appeal

Based on our vision, mission, values and objectives that we mentioned at the introduction of this website, we make an urgent call and appeal to each of the followings:

Local, state and central authorities
Local, regional and international charitable organizations, and
Benefactors

Our call and appeal are to initiate development projects’ objective of which is to get the residents of the region settled, as they dream of water, health and education. Our call is also for every investment that would provide honest work opportunities to eradicate poverty, ignorance and disease and, at the same time, provide security to enable the population of the region to live an honorable life as human beings

Conclusion

We hope that we have succeeded, in this introductory website, in shedding light on the region, its inhabitants and its resources through the vision, mission, goals and road map adopted by the Committee to get the region out 22 of its suffering and achieve its aspirations. We pray to Almighty Allah to reconcile our hearts and get us united and to preserve our tolerant societal values and the principles to be observed during the implementation of the projects presented so that the Committee can achieve the desired goals. Thank you for your patience and interest in reading the contents of this website, and we are pleased to keep in touch with you to answer any inquiries you may have!

Yours faithfully,

Higher Committee for the development of Omgozain

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse