SANA’A,
Dec 23 — Representatives from over 40 Malaysian companies have arrived
in Yemen, aiming to assist in the country’s development and gain
membership to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
“The
government of Yemen must improve industry and trade, and focus on youth
projects, as young people represent 60 percent of the population,” said
Aidrous al-Attas, Chairman of the Malay Chamber of Commerce, Malaysia.
“Yemen is rich with an economic potential which it has to propagate if
it is to expand its economic capabilities on an international level,
including with Malaysia. Malaysia has much experience in industry and
tourism,” said al-Attas, who is also the head of the Malaysian
businessmen delegation.
“We hope that the government will help
us invest in banking, and realize our aims to invest in tourism,
industry, and halal products,” he said, adding, “We will focus during
the next five years on three sectors: tourism, vocational training and
industrial zones.
“We have come to Yemen to help Yemenis improve
their capabilities, and to share with them our experience in industrial
development,” said Haj Mohammad Mustafa, Secretary General of the Malay
Chamber of Commerce, Malaysia.
“We came here to collaborate with
Yemenis economically. We are here to help Yemenis attract investors,”
said Mustafa. “Yemenis do not know how to present the positive aspects
of their country to others,” he adds.
“If you ask a taxi
driver to take you to any common place, he will often claim ignorance,
yet in Malaysia every one knows every place in his country. So we are
here for this purpose, to show the Yemeni people how to better present
their country to others,” clarified Mustafa.
“In the industrial
conference due to be held tomorrow, we will share our experience in
development. We will work with both the public and private sectors for
this purpose. Our common goal is the development of Islamic ummah. We
will share our knowledge and our experience to help realize this goal,”
he added.
“Yemen is a country with opportunities. You have raw
materials, the country is rich in tourist sites, you have a large
workforce with a very low income. You need a master plan to best
capitalize on this potential,” said Executive Chairman of Malaysian
Yemen Business Venture Fauziah BT Alias.
“Our responsibility is
to market both Yemeni and Malaysian products, and to bring our
businessmen to the exhibition that would be held on the sidelines of
the Industry Conference due to be held in Hadramout tomorrow,” she
added.
“Our focus in this visit is business. We have a clear
primary aim; to investigate the security in the country and to help
Yemen join the GCC,” said Alias. “During the Hadramout Industry
Conference we will investigate how to tighten up security, and how to
fight corruption. After this, we will return to start business,” he
adds.
Launching the Yemeni Malaysian Seminar for Investment,
Prime Minister Ali Mujawar says that Yemen has taken important steps
for attracting investments. It gives incentives to investors, such as
free land for setting up their projects. “The government is taking care
of industrial and investment infrastructure, and is working on having
investment systems reformed,” he said.
Chairman of the General
Investment Authority, Salah al-Attar, called on Yemeni and Malaysian
businessmen to invest in the infrastructure sector, especially in
electricity and roads.
Those at the symposium held two work
sessions. The first session dealt with a number of successful
international experiences in the field of industrial development, as
presented by the Malaysian Siram Company, Al-Arabi Group, and the
Salalah Free Zone in Oman.
The second session included methods
for enhancing the competitiveness of national industries, and was
followed by a number of comments made by the Secretary General of
Yemeni Manufacturers, Hodeidah Commercial and Industrial Chamber, and
the Technical Organization of the Supreme Council for Developing
Industries.
Four treaties and memos of understanding were singed in the sideline of the Industry Conference.
The
first treaty, signed between the Malaysian Chamber of Commerce and the
local authority in Hadramout, was for the establishment of a complete
tourist compound, at an estimated initial cost of USD $10 million. The
treaty was signed by Governor of Hadramout, Salem al-Khanbashi, and by
the Chairman of Malaysian Chamber of Commerce, Aidrous al-Attas.
The
Malaysian CM Company and al-Amqi Group for Trade and Investment signed
the second treaty, which relates to the establishment of fishery
industries in Hadramout, worth USD $2.5 million. The Ministry of
Industry and Trade, and the Malaysian Sirm Company signed a memorandum
of understanding (MoU) for cooperation in setting up a Yemeni industry
development strategy. Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade for
Development and Investment, Abdullah Abdul-Wali, and the Vice Chairman
of Malaysian Sirm Company, Asmadi Saeed, signed the memo. The Hadramout
Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Malaysian Chamber of Commerce
signed the second MoU for trade cooperation.
