There is also talk about a surplus in the external trade balance for the first time in decades. A recent finance ministry report spoke about a surplus of 90 million dollars in the country's trade balance. Motorists no longer need to queue for oil at gas stations. On some occasions in the past, motorists had to stay awake all night waiting for gas shipments to arrive from Port Sudan, the country's Red Sea harbour. Public transport has now improved a great deal.
Commuters face no problem travelling around the country.
The abundant supply at the stations has encouraged investments in the transport business. Even ordinary citizens are joining the trade. All along the country's roadways, vendors can be seen waving to motorists with canteens full of benzene or gasoline. The decision to start with the exploitation of the little oil in Sudan, discovered in 1982, has encouraged hesitant oil firms to look for exploration concessions elsewhere in the country. The country's verified reserve is 800 million barrels.