Minister of Planning and International Cooperation and Yemen’s Governor to the World Bank Group, Dr. Afrah Al-Zouba, held a virtual meeting today with Stephane Guimbert, World Bank Regional Director for Egypt, Djibouti, and Yemen, and Dina Abu-Ghaida, World Bank Country Director for Yemen, to review the Bank’s current and upcoming portfolio of projects and activities in the country.

The meeting covered World Bank-supported projects and interventions across nine key sectors: health, education, social protection, agriculture, energy, water, infrastructure, fisheries, as well as technical assistance provided to the Central Bank of Yemen, the Ministry of Finance, the customs system, and public-private partnership initiatives.

The two sides also discussed the World Bank’s new five-year strategy for Yemen, which focuses on energy, food security and nutrition, and increasing private sector participation. In addition, they reviewed a new package of projects scheduled for submission to the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors in the coming months, covering water, health, nutrition, social protection, institutional development, agriculture, and education.

Dr. Al-Zouba outlined the priorities of the new government and its agenda for economic reform and institutional strengthening. She stressed that education and health remain the government’s highest priorities for safeguarding Yemen’s future and emphasized the importance of investing in infrastructure to connect communities, improve access to essential services, facilitate trade, and create employment opportunities.

The Minister also underscored the importance of empowering national institutions to play a greater role in implementing development projects to ensure long-term sustainability and reduce operational costs. She further called for expanding the World Bank’s presence in the temporary capital, Aden, to strengthen its engagement with realities on the ground.

For his part, Stephane Guimbert reaffirmed the World Bank’s commitment to continuing its support for Yemen and maintaining current financing levels. He also reiterated the Bank’s commitment to working closely with international and regional development partners to maximize the impact of development interventions across the country.