Yemen signs $206m World Bank social development deal

Yemen appealed to donor states at a recent summit in Riyadh Sanaa – Maeen al-Najri Yemen has signed a comprehensive financial agreement with the World Bank, which will see $206m flooded into social, education and infrastructure projects over the next 18 months. The deal comes in response to an appeal by the Yemeni government to fast-track some $400m funds previously pledged at a recent World Bank summit in Riyadh.
The agreement, signed in Yemen’s capital Sanaa, will see $100m enter the country almost immediately in an attempt to facilitate urgent economic recovery.
The initial programme will support some 400,000 families over the next 10-15 months, in a project aimed at providing social welfare safety nets for poorer citizens in Yemen.
A further $66 million will be allocated to developing basic education facilities and improving opportunities for young people.
Over 500 classrooms will be built, 150 existing schools renovated and at least 700 new teachers trained in rural areas.
The World Bank initiative reportedly pushed for greater educational opportunities for girls in Yemen.
A third section of the social development package will also allocate $40m to improving infrastructure in the Gulf state, supporting the improvement of travel networks and bolstering internal trade.