KSA announces $81m megaprojects in Yemen

Saudi Arabia “believes in the importance of meeting the needs of various Yemeni vital sectors.” (File/AFP)

• Agreement covers medical city, airport rehabilitation, road improvement

DUBAI: Saudi Arabia on Sunday announced a series of development projects in Yemen, including three megaprojects with a combined value of SR303.4 million ($80.91 million), the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
The contracts were signed in Riyadh by Saudi Ambassador to Yemen Mohammed bin Saeed Al-Jaber in the presence of Yemen’s ministers of planning and international cooperation, finance, public health and population, transport, and public works and roads.
The three Saudi megaprojects in Yemen include the establishment of a SR213 million King Salman Medical and Educational City in Mahra governorate, a SR54.4 million rehabilitation of Aden International Airport, and SR36 million to improve Al-Abr road in the city of Marib.
Saudi Arabia “believes in the importance of meeting the needs of various Yemeni vital sectors,” said Al-Jaber, who is also the general supervisor of the Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen (SDRPY).
“Therefore, we are always keen on coordinating with Yemeni local authorities and cooperating with our partners from Saudi bodies and international organizations to unify efforts to develop Yemen and make these projects successful, which will contribute to achieving development prosperity and promoting peace in Yemen.”
The ceremony took place at the SDRPY headquarters in Riyadh. The SPA reported that the SDRPY “has implemented more than 193 projects in seven primary sectors, namely education, health, water, energy, transportation, agriculture and fisheries, and government capacity building.”
Arab News reported on Saturday that Yemen’s new unity government was sworn in before President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi in Riyadh, ending months of violence and political wrangling in southern Yemen provinces that weakened the anti-Houthi bloc.
Hadi thanked Saudi Arabia for paving the way for the implementation of the Riyadh Agreement, expressing hope for a new bailout from the Kingdom to steady Yemen’s troubled economy.