The World Bank approved a $100 million grant to Yemen for the second phase of the Yemen Emergency Electricity Access Project, announced Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Waed Badhib.
Badhib said that the project aims to increase access to electricity in rural areas and cities' outskirts and plans to restore the capacity of the electricity sector.
He explained that this additional grant is provided by the International Development Association (IDA), the arm of the World Bank, to help the poorest countries around the world.
The UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS) will implement the project in partnership with local stakeholders.
The Minister confirmed that the new grant would provide many public service facilities with new or improved electricity services, helping Yemenis have better access to critical services.
It will also enable small and innovative businesses to gain access to solar systems, encouraging job creation and reaching the desired stage of economic recovery.
Earlier, the Yemeni Prime Minister, Maeen Abdulmalik, confirmed that the World Bank agreed to support government institutions and achieve economic recovery.
Abdulmalik said Yemeni officials met with World Bank and International Finance Corporation officials in Aden.
He explained that the meeting reached an agreement on boosting the Bank's presence in Aden to support partnership and cooperation, respond to humanitarian and development needs, and back state capabilities to achieve stability and recovery.
Abdulmalik stated that the meeting addressed the most prominent challenges and several important issues relating to the food security and energy sectors.
He stressed the need to shift to development in Yemen, suffering from the war against the Iranian-backed Houthi militia.
He explained that the government agreed with the World Bank on several points to launch the next stage, focusing on balancing the emergency response to sustainability with development projects.
They also agreed to finance the productive sectors, fisheries, and agriculture and activate oversight over international organizations, namely projects funded through the World Bank.
The two asserted the need to support the private sector, and the premier stressed the importance of the Bank's contribution to maintaining capabilities within public institutions.
The PM praised the "unique experience" of the World Bank in Yemen, especially since the international organization has been a key and strategic partner since the sixties.
The World Bank is a partner in building effective institutions such as the Social Fund for Development and the Public Works Project, capable of implementing projects worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
Through the International Finance Corporation, the World Bank funded several projects in many sectors in the last 18 months, including health, education, and emergency cash transfers, totaling more than $1 billion.
