IDA Commits USD 142.3 Million in Fiscal Year 2001 [Archives:2001/33/Business & Economy]

The International Development Agency (IDA) approved a budget allocation of USD 142.3 million in order to support 4 development projects in Yemen during fiscal year 2001 (July 2000 to June 2001). This is a decline compared to lending commitments of USD 160.5 million in 2000 and USD 181.5 million in 1999.
IDA, a World Bank affiliate, provides funds to the world’s poorest countries. IDA’s credits to Yemen have a 40-year maturity, including a 10-year grace period and a service charge of 0.75 percent per annum.
PROJECT SUMMARIES
Yemen Rural Access Project
Approval Date: June 7, 2001
Credit Amount: IDA-USD 45 million equivalent
Project Description: This project will support the Yemeni government’s recent decentralization process, as well as complement and enhance several community-based programs in the country, such as the Social Funds Project and the Public Works Project. By financing improvements to a sub-network or rural roads, the project will reduce the isolation of Yemen’s rural population by ensuring that it can have reliable access through the local, regional, and national road networks.
Yemen Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project
Approval Date: December 21, 2000
Credit Amount: IDA-USD 20 million equivalent
Project Description: This project will expand sustainable rural water supply and sanitation service coverage to about 400,000 poor rural dwellers in 10 governorates. This would be achieved by: (i) introducing in Yemen a worldwide proven demand-responsive, decentralized, community-managed, rural water supply and sanitation development approach; (ii) assisting the government in building and strengthening local rural water supply and sanitation capacity; and (iii) helping the government to formulate a demand-responsive approach in a coherent rural water supply and sanitation strategy, and to prepare a long-term (10-15 years) national rural water supply and sanitation investment program that could be supported by the Bank and other donors.
Yemen Basic Education Expansion Project
Approval Date: October 17, 2000
Credit Amount: IDA-USD 56 million equivalent
Project Description: This project aims at improving the quality of education in Yemen. It will help expanding access to education and providing training for teachers, inspectors, and headmasters. The project will also help strengthen the capacity of the Ministry of Education to implement education reforms and prepare educational statistics and monitoring. Technical assistance will be provided to develop action plans for community participation activities.
Yemen Irrigation Improvement Project
Approval Date: September 8, 2000
Credit Amount: IDA-USD 21.3 million equivalent
Project Description: The project is the first phase of a comprehensive program to improve surface irrigation systems in Yemen It will ensure sustainable and efficient water transportation, distribution and utilization in the two irrigation schemes of Tuban and Zabid through rehabilitation and participatory irrigation management. This project also aims to increase agricultural productivity and rural incomes through the implementation of an intensive demonstration program. The Phase 1 program is expected to benefit the farmers, farm workers and their families exploiting a 26000 hectares area out of a total area of 90,000 hectares (covering the main spate irrigation systems in Yemen).

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