World Bank signs agreement with Yemen

The World Bank has reached agreement with Yemen to fund the Labor Intensive Public Works Project, officials said. The $61 million grant was signed Wednesday by Inger Andersen, World Bank vice president for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, and Yemeni Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Dr. Mohammed Saed al-Sadi on the sidelines of the Friends of Yemen conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. "This is the kind of help Yemen needs urgently now," said Andersen. "Citizens need to see their government deliver services and this project is rightly focused on marginalized and poor communities. Women and girls in particular will benefit with improved water supply and better access to primary education and health services." The Yemen Post said Thursday the need for basic infrastructure services in Yemen is high and requests have already been received. A diverse selection of these will be implemented in areas such as health, education, water supply, harvesting, sewage disposal, road paving and vocational training.