Oil minister pledges YR 30 Million for Drilling Communities [Archives:2008/1133/Local News]
By: Saddam Al-Shmori
For the Yemen Times
SHABWAH, 23 Feb. ) In response to President Ali Abdullah Saleh's calls to support the rural areas close to oil company operations, Khalid Mahfoud Bahah, Minister of Oil and Minerals, made a field visit to several of the regions with the goal of improving the lives of the people in the areas and developing the oil operations there.
His tour included stops at East Shabwah in the Sah district, operated by Total E&P Yemen and partners, and Canadian Nexen Petroleum Yemen's land drilling stations in Massila and East al-Hajr. The visit included the districts around the operating areas such as Ghail BinYameen, Sah and other oil facilities in Hadramout.
The Minister announced a donation of YR 30 million to support the districts' facilities for health, education, sports, agriculture and transportation. The donation also included one ambulance and two schoolbuses for female students from remote areas.
On February 17, Bahah officially inaugurated the Al-Artika Women's Training Center in the Sah district along with Mr. Martin Deffontaines, general manager of Total E&P Yemen, and assorted local authorities and Parliament members.
The center, equipped with sewing machines, computers, a handicrafts lab and classrooms for English and French classes, was financed by the Ministry of Oil in cooperation with the Total oil company.
Later the same day in Massila, the group announced the implementation of a service package for every employee at the East al-Hajr and Massila drilling grounds.
In the Ghail BinYameen district, the minister had a town hall meeting with the public and local authorities, where he listened to complaints about the alleged illegal activities of some oil companies and the needs of people in the area. The minister pledged a donation of YR 5 million to the regional hospital, YR 1 million towards education, YR 1 million for sports, one school bus for female students, plus scholarships, agricultural support and wells to provide water.
The oil sector is key to the Yemeni economy, and makes up 75 percent of the total budget. Bahah said that the ministry is working actively on three areas to ensure the success of the oil industry, specifically by auditing industry accounting, assessing the environmental damage done by oil drilling, and providing further employee training.
Related matters, such as observing the industry's challenges, obstacles and achievements were the most important part of the minister's visit, to be followed up with a sustainable development program.
Bahah said that it was the Ministry's belief that developing the communities surrounding the oil-producing areas would help sustain petroleum activities in Yemen.
Bahah advised the public to maintain good communications with the oil companies. He explained that labor was the current challenge, with the government planning by next week to move towards the implementation of a law which guarantees a percentage of work to the villages around the operating areas.
——
[archive-e:1133-v:15-y:2008-d:2008-02-28-p:ln]
