Port Sudan, 27–28 April 2025 – In conjunction with the World Day for Safety and Health at Work, the Federal Ministry of Health of Sudan, through its General Directorate of Occupational Health and Safety, hosted the Occupational Health and Safety (OSH) Conference 2025 in Port Sudan. The conference “Building a Culture of Prevention Ensures a Safe Working Environment for All” brought together national leaders, international experts, and OSH practitioners to advance Sudan’s occupational safety agenda in a post-conflict recovery context.

Day One: Launch, Exhibition, and Global OSH Insights

The event opened with the arrival of Salah Al-Din Adam Nour Rahas, Member of the Transitional Sovereignty Council, who was welcomed by Federal Minister of Health Dr. Heitham Mohamed Ibrahim, himself a Master of Public Health graduate and an alumnus of Universiti Malaya (UM), alongside senior ministry officials and conference delegates. The programme began with a tour of the OSH exhibition booths featuring contributions from:

Faculty of Applied Sciences, Red Sea University
Ministry of Minerals
Ministry of Energy and Petroleum
DAL Group
Directorate of Occupational Health and Safety

These exhibits showcased Sudan’s growing multi-sectoral involvement in workplace safety.

Opening Ceremony

The opening ceremony featured structured addresses:

Dr. Soha Ali Yusof, Director of the Directorate General of OSH, delivered the welcoming remarks, outlining the objectives of the conference.
Professor Dr. Victor Hoe, Professor of Occupational and Public Health at Universiti Malaya, delivered the keynote address on “Occupational Safety and Health – Best Practices from a Malaysian Perspective.” He emphasised Malaysia’s legislative frameworks, inter-ministerial partnerships, and workforce engagement as models adaptable to Sudan’s national OSH reform.
Dr. Heitham Mohamed Ibrahim, Federal Minister of Health, reaffirmed the government’s prioritisation of OSH within Sudan’s development and reconstruction strategies.
Salah Al-Din Adam Nour Rahas officiated the conference and commended the OSH community’s resilience, especially in the face of national challenges.

Day Two: Technical Sessions and Strategic Reflections

The second day of the conference featured a series of thematic and technical presentations:

1. Risk Assessment in Occupational Health and Safety

Delivered by Soha Ali Yusof, this session provided a framework for structured risk analysis in high-risk sectors, with emphasis on local industrial contexts, informal sectors, and emerging occupational risks.

2. Generative AI in Occupational Health and Safety

Prof. Dr. Victor Hoe returned to the podium to present on the application of Generative AI in OSH. He shared with the participants the history of AI, starting with Warren McCulloch and Walter Pitts’ groundbreaking work on neural networks, up to McCarthy, who coined the term artificial intelligence. He explained the various terms used in AI: Artificial Neural Network, Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Generative AI, Chatbots, Deep Fakes, Natural Language Processing, and Large Language Model (LLM). He highlights various use cases of AI in Occupational Safety and Health: Predictive Analytics, Wearable Technology & IoT, Automated Documentation & Reporting, Personalised Intervention, and Telemedicine and Virtual Agents. He shared a case study on using GPT for Workplace Medical Surveillance in compliance with the Malaysian OSH legislation.

He underscored the importance of regulatory frameworks and ethical guidelines for AI deployment in OSH in low-resource and transitional settings.

3. DAL Food OHSE – World Safety Day

Mr. Hussein Fikry, OHSE Group Manager at DAL Group, presented an industry perspective on corporate-led safety culture transformation. He showcased DAL Food’s programmes that align with international safety standards and employee wellbeing initiatives.

4. Case Study Presentations

Representatives from the Ministry of Oil and Energy, Ministry of Labour, Ministry of Minerals, and the Sudanese Mineral Company shared real-world OSH practices and challenges. These case studies illustrated the interplay between policy, field-level implementation, and the urgent need for institutionalised OSH mechanisms in extractive industries.

5. Psychosocial Risk at Work

Soha Ali Yusof also led this session, highlighting mental health challenges in Sudanese workplaces. She called for integrating psychosocial risk management into OSH systems, particularly in sectors exposed to chronic stress, trauma, and insecurity.

Closing Remarks

The conference concluded with a formal statement underscoring the event’s success in fostering local and global knowledge exchange, showcasing best practices, and presenting scientific papers that deepened the understanding of risk management, workplace safety, and preventive OSH strategies.

In his closing address, Federal Minister of Health Dr. Haitham Mohamed Ibrahim reiterated the Ministry’s commitment to fully implementing the conference’s recommendations. He stressed the importance of maintaining a robust occupational health framework and pledged to review and update the country’s OSH-related laws and legislation. Dr. Heitham extended his gratitude to all participants and conveyed special appreciation to Professor Dr. Victor Hoe for his valuable contributions and international expertise.

Strategic Conference Recommendations

The two-day event resulted in key resolutions:

Establishing a centralised federal OSH governance body.
Unifying OSH legislation across all sectors and states.
Enhancing training, certification, and academic involvement in OSH.
Launching media-supported awareness campaigns.
Integrating OSH principles into urban planning, reconstruction, and education.
Addressing national OSH risks such as unregulated mining and psychosocial hazards.

Conclusion: A Turning Point for Occupational Health in Sudan

The Occupational Health and Safety Conference 2025 marked a critical step in Sudan’s pursuit of safer, healthier, and more productive workplaces. With contributions from local stakeholders and international experts like Professor Dr. Victor Hoe, the conference laid the groundwork for a forward-looking OSH system—one that champions prevention, resilience, and sustainability in every workplace.