Yemeni Businessmen and Investors Clearly State, “Aden Free Zone is Yemen’s Gateway to the Future” [Archives:1999/37/Reportage]

archive
September 13 1999

No doubt that the ones who will most benefit and the ones who will be the most influential in the activities of this gigantic project are the businessmen. On this special occasion, the Yemen Times wanted to know the impressions and plans of these prominent businessmen.
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During the official opening ceremony of the Aden Container Terminal, Yahya Abdulrahman Bagirsh, a businessman and the General Manager of the Salem Abdul Rahman and Sons Group, with great relief said, “We have been waiting for this great historical day for so long. We know the neighboring free zones, and we know how they are dealt with. What we need here is patience to make this harbor as important as other ones in the world. We, as Yemeni investors, expect rapid development in the Yemeni economy after the official inauguration of the harbor by the President Ali Abdulla Saleh.”

Sheikh Saleh Bathawab, Chairman of the Administrative Council, National Cigarettes and Matches Manufacturing Company Ltd. declared, “It is a great day as we celebrate the opening of this huge project. We have great hopes on the investment in the free zone by Yemeni and foreign investors. We are commencing this phase with perception that our imports and exports are beginning to harvest their fruits. It will have excellent effect in the area and the Arabian Peninsula without subsiding the free zone neighboring areas. It could result in the improvement of these areas as they are o the same sea shipping routs and will also encourage large companies to visit Aden to obtain plots in this area. It will also enable businessmen to boost trade within Yemen.” 

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Mr. Bathawab appealed to the leaders to draw up a nationalization and housing law, and to ensure that the entire Aden City becomes a free zone, “We will watch the implementation of the next phase, which concerns the development of the container and industrial areas, and the construction of factories by international organizations, we wished success to the oncoming project, and hoped that it, will be completed within the stipulated period. He also thanked H.E. President Ali Abdullah Saleh for his personal interest and support for this project.”
Mr. Khaled Abdulwahid Noman, a businessman and Director General of Abdulwahid Noman and Sons Establishment and a member of the Aden Chamber of Commerce said, “The first phase of the Free Zone project is successfully completed. We now consider the introduction of the container port in the northern area of the Aden port. Within a short period of the tentative working of the first phase, it has proven to be of immense importance as most of the international shipping lines. These lines have felt the need to route at least one ship weekly to the area in order to benefit from the facilities available, and in order to save time and money. The first direct impact felt by businessmen is the reduction by one-third in freight charges to Aden from Europe and East Asia. We expect that as and when the large shipping companies become aware of the facilities available at Aden free port, and with the political and economic stability now prevailing in the area movement of ships to Aden port area will greatly increase resulting in the prosperity of the area. Aden is the best natural deep sea port in the Arabian Peninsula which saves at least four days en-route of the large shipping lines. Thus the port can be used for HUP or ENTREPOT transit trade to neighboring countries. It is also natural that the increase movement of ships in the port will reduce the cost of shipping. It will also promote the seriousness of the project. It will also further heighten the establishment of trade and industry, storage, and financial facilities in the area.”

Mr. Omer Abdulrehman Bagrish, Vice President of the Chamber of commerce in Hadhramout Governorate and Director General of Mukalla Raisoot for trade and industry said, “Today the president has completed of the first phase of the project, which concerns the container terminal. It is encouraging for us businessmen and a step forward for us to compete with free ports and world renowned free zone areas, and join the convoy of the new modern trade era. Aden city and the container terminal at the port of Aden will flourish economically because of their strategic location. We are also sure that it will improve free trade in the area, and will result in the grant of additional facilities to the investors and will attract investments.” He concluded by saying, “We in Mukalla Raisoot for Trade and Industry are anxious to take part in this project by providing cement of international standard, and whatever quantity required as we feel that the project is for the service of the Yemeni people.”Hussain Shomailah said that the execution of the first phase of the containers harbor is considered to be a great achievement in the history of Yemen. As a businessman, he said that he is very optimistic about the future of the harbor. For this reason he said that Shomailah Commercial Groups have submitted an order of 10,000 m in the free zone to build stores for electronic systems as well as stores for the exports.
Omar Bamihriz, a businessman, stated that businessmen do ground their hopes on this project and are very much excited for its success. He said that they have come back from abroad in order to invest in their homeland and to contribute to the success of this project. About the Aden Airport Project, Bamihriz said, “We have already started doing business in the zone. All the equipment and machinery needed for the execution of the project have arrived according to the contract signed by us, as the Saudi Bin Laden Group and the Yemeni government. The project will cost $20 million, % 80 of which is denoted by the World Bank and the remaining % 20 is the government contribution. In fact, we are working very hard and we expect finishing all the preliminaries before the fixed time.”

Bader Ba Salmah, chairman of the trade Chamber in Aden, also spoke on this occasion and said, “We have faced a lot of difficulties till we made this port a reality. We have started signing contracts with different companies to stop in Aden and use it as a transit port. Studies have been made to develop the industrial district of the port and it is expected that we will be done with that by the end of this month.”

Hamdi Abdulkareem, GM of the United Company for Metal Industries, stated that he would like to congratulate President Ali Abdulla Saleh as well as the Yemeni people for the official inauguration of the first phase of the strategic project of the Free Zone. He said that as an investment company in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Sudan, Belgium and Turkey, they have found a good chance to establish a project in Yemen near the Free Zone which will be a great success if properly run. On another level, he said the project will hold great importance due to its location near Africa and ina strategic position for shipments to and from three continents. Hence, entering markets in these continents will be easy through the Aden Free Zone.
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