The Sudanese Development Initiative (SUDIA) is a non-governmental not-for-profit organization committed to playing an active and lead role in advancing peace, development and social justice within the African continent.

The Sudanese Development Initiative (SUDIA) was originally founded in early 1995 by a group of young Sudanese professionals residing in Egypt and was born to respond to the growing needs of the Sudanese refugee community in Cairo at the time. With funding from the Ford Foundation and operating as a semi-autonomous organization under the auspices of the Near East Foundation the organization was quick to develop its capacity and establish itself as a credible and professioanl organization amongst its stakeholders and constituency - represented by the refugee community in Cairo.

In June 1999 the organization was incorporated as an international non-profit company registered under US law in the state of Florida. The Cairo chapter of the organization was also registered with the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In 2001 the Board of Directors approved a decision to open another chapter of the organization in Sudan, and since December 2001 SUDIA has maintained a program office in Sudan that wasgoverned by a country agreement with the Government of Sudan represented by the Humanitarian Aid Commission - Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs. In June 2009 the Sudan chapter was transformed into a local organization registered under the laws of the Sudan.

SUDIA works closely with a wide base of  institutions from civil society, the private sector as well as with government developing programs and projects that sustain and reinforce peace and development and support the country and the Sudanese people achieve their part of the Millennium Development Goals.

Programs and projects are innovative and offer home-grown solutions to problems and challenges facing communities. Experience and learnings are captured as 'development blueprints; which may be upscaled and replicated elsewhere throughtout the country.

SUDIA' program and interventions fall under the following three areas -

• Strengthening civil society
• Economic and community-based development
• Conflict transformation and peace-building

Programs are re-enforced and supported through the provision of services targeting the development community. These include: surveys, business/program planning, custom-designed training packages, sector studies, assessments and evaluations.

Additionally, collaboration between SUDIA and international as well as national partners has created a pool of information and expertise across a range of development topics. These include: livelihoods, community development, media, natural resource management, reproductive health, and organizational development. As a facilitator, SUDIA builds capacity within existing organizations to replicate successful pilot projects.