Sudan's parliament passed its 2017 budget on Thursday and projected a deficit of 2.1 percent of GDP for the coming year, up from 1.6 percent for 2016, Finance Minister Badr al-Din Mahmoud said. The 2017 budget puts total revenues at 77.7 billion Sudanese pounds ($12 billion) and total expenditure at 96.2 billion pounds. It projects a growth rate of 5.3 percent, down from an expected 6.4 percent for 2016.

The government is targeting an average inflation of 17 percent in the coming year. Projected revenue in 2016 was 67.5 billion Sudanese pounds and projected expenditure 66.9 billion pounds. "I assure you that we will strictly stick to spending within the budget," Mahmoud told lawmakers.

Copyright Reuters, 2016