Providing job opportunities with preserving architectural style,Towards investment in available resources in local environment [Archives:2004/762/Business & Economy]

Mahyoub Al-Kamaly
The concerned parties in the field of providing job opportunities they work for implementation of plans creating those opportunities, improvement of poor families' incomes and securing the population needs in investment of available potentials and resources in the domestic environment, given that they would not need high costs for their investment. They would depend on available traditional means in many areas in Yemen.
In the context of government efforts for preserving and protecting identity of the Yemeni distinguished architectural art and the human heritage of world-important heritage of Sana'a, Shibam Hadramout and Zabid, the concerned parties in the government encourage production of construction materials f4rom local raw materials and on condition the architectural building should preserve its engineering, construction and decoration originality.
According to the policy towards development of non-inflation self-revenues or oil revenues, the government authorities are offering all facilities to those working in this field.
Investment sources say production of stones and employment in the Yemeni architectural art and exporting them to neighbouring external markets would yield high amounts of revenues and profits because working in such production would not require advanced technological means of production but rather traditional equipment and workers qualified and skilled in making them according to their artistic shapes.
Sources assert that demand for importing stones is increasing especially from India and that Qatar has expressed its desire for investment in this field. This means there are local raw materials motivating investment and exportation. Sites fore stones excavation are found in all governorates of Yemen but spread in various colours and sizes and dug out with simple tools. Those stones are used in building huge palaces rising to 12 storeys; nowadays those stones are bound with cement instead of clay. Areas where stones are massively found spread in Taiz, Ibb, Sana'a, Shabwa and Baidha'a where some establishments are built for production of stones and they undertake marketing them locally or exporting them to external markets.
Revenues of investment of construction stones helps create job opportunities for thousands of unemployed and also assist in improvement of their and their families living circumstances. This is reflected positively on the life of needy families and contributes to alleviation of poverty cases.
With the rise in prices of iron in Yemen to more than 112 thousand Yemeni riyals for a ton, many employers and real estates owners prefer the use of stones as a major element in building and contacts, a matter which increased demand for stones and heading for investment in this area.
Moreover, stones, with their green, white, violet and red colours, have become demanded for outward decoration of houses and buildings for the purpose of preserving the architectural style, especially in the city of Sana'a.
It is therefore, the concerned parties do encourage more workers in the production of stones and the work for exporting them as they constitute a source of income and provide job opportunities for increasing numbers of those who are unemployed.
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