Program on development of small industries, plan for industrial production [Archives:2005/843/Business & Economy]
The first meeting, recently held at the ministry of industry and trade, has approved actuation of the program of developing the private sector adopted by a committee formed for this purpose. The program aims at creating job opportunities. The meeting was held under chairmanship of the minister Dr Khalid Rajih sheikh and attended by representatives from concerned parties. The meeting approved procedures for the development of private sector performance and engaging it in development.
Also taking part in the meeting were the German side represented by the German establishment, DAD, the German Development and Reconstruction Bank.
In the meeting the minister affirmed the importance of the program in a vital and significant field represented by encouragement of the private sector in founding work opportunities and furtherance of professional and service skills of the small enterprises in Yemen.
The meeting has also reviewed activities implemented in the year 2004 in the governorates included in the program plan, namely the governorates of Aden and Taiz. It has also reviewed the working plan for the year 2005 and problems and impediments facing small enterprises sector as well as the role of the program and concerned parties in overcoming those hindrances and for advancement of that sector.
The meeting has come out with a number of recommendations that are expected to contribute to develop performance of the program and enable it to achieve its development goals in cooperation with all concerned partners.
Moreover, the minister of industry and trade said his ministry had completed a mechanism for expansion in the area of assembly industries in Yemen and promising industries in all fields. He added that his ministry had traversed long distances in the area of activating the role of the industry and trade sectors through efforts produced many tangible accomplishments.
Emphasis on activating the sectors of industry and trade is due to their being the sectors that guarantee job opportunities and activate the economic development, provide commodities and services as well as realization of internal and external economic balance for Yemen. The ministry of industry and trade has adopted the launch of a large-scale project to increase productive capacity of cement through public and private investments exceeding 700 million dollars in order to double Yemen's production of this material by four times and to attain 6 million tons by the year 2007. This is in cooperation with relevant sides.
Three factories for iron and steel were also built in industrial zones with an investment cost estimated at $100 million and production capacity of 800 thousand tons per year. Mr Rajih made it clear that the production capacity would cover demand of the Yemeni market that imports around $170 million worth of steel every year.
The minister also says the ministry would implement a program for solving problems of textile industries and an increase in productive and operative capacities by more than two times in agriculture of cotton as well as modernization of the existing units of textile. The ministry is also working in cooperation with the ministry of planning for the promotion of investment opportunities in Yemen in fields of minerals and construction raw materials.
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