WB RAISES YEMEN PROJECT GRANT TO $25 MLN

SANA'A, Oct. 20 (Saba) – The World Bank (WB) has increased the grant of Bilharzia Control Project in Yemen from $20 million to $25 million.

During his meeting last Monday with Public Health and Population Minister Abdul-Karim Rase'a, head of the WB's team currently visiting Yemen Alaa Hamid made it clear that the preparation process is ongoing properly and according to a timetable towards making the project's final draft.

Yemeni government and the WB would start their final negotiations according to this draft in the middle of next November; Hamid indicated, expecting that the project would be started officially in January 2010.

"At request of the health minister and the bank's approval to present a part of the amount, some basic activities of the project will be begun through the mass treatment for school students in the districts of high population from the end of 2009", Hamid affirmed.

The WB's team briefed on Rase'a the progress in arranging the bank's grant for the Bilharzia control project in Yemen.

BA