Investment Licenses in Aden Issued [Archives:2000/37/Reportage]

Ridhwan
Al-Saqqaf,
Aden Bureau Chief
Aden Chamber of Commerce and Industry concluded last Thursday a week of activities including discussions of various issues related to trade, investment, significance of small enterprises, Yemens strategic vision 2025, etc. A seminar on Arab investment experience in Yemen was also organized as part of the Chamber celebration marking its 114th founding anniversary.
Speeches highlighting the importance of investment in Aden, facilities Arab and foreign investors enjoy and current investment program and project in Aden were made by Mr. Mohammed Omar Bamashmos, chairman of ACCI, Mr. Abdulkareem Mateer, Director general of the General Investment Authority and Dirhem Abdu Noman, chairman of the Aden Free Zone. Speeches pointed out that 336 licenses for investment projects at the cost of YRs 542 billion had been issued since March 1992.
Arabs as well as foreigners speeches called for benefiting from investment facilities and guarantees specified by the Investment law. The event also included two interpretations by Sigma Gas Ltd. and The United Company for Industries Metals in which they stressed the need to take actions to protect and encourage local products.
In his speech, delivered by Mr. Mohammed Abdullah, Financial Manager, Mr. Hamdu Abdul Kareem General Manager of the United Company for Industrial Metals, introduced the company as a series of industries working in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Sudan, Turkey, Bulgaria, Dubai and Yemen. Working in Yemen came after a thorough study and tens of visits to Yemen during 1995-1996. After obtaining the license, we started building the infrastructure of the project and importing equipment for the plant. We started production at the rate of 250 tons a day, he said.
He expressed thanks and appreciation for help the company had been receiving from the General Investment Authority and President Saleh. However, he said that they were shocked and confused by some laws regarding productions tax issued on April 4. We lost 88% of our profits by imposing a tax of 5% of the selling price on our products, he added pointing out that profits of heavy industrials do not exceed 9-13% of the capital. In addition, customs law is %100 violated.
On the other hand, Mr. Derhem Noman, chairman of the Free Zone requested Arab and foreign investors their advice to make things easier for them. In his speech during the Arab Investment Seminar held on August 29 he said that the free zone was a new experience for those in charge of it and for the government. It is then natural to meet with some shortcomings and we request investors to report to us those shortcomings with their suggestions and views in order to remove all obstacles facing them, he said.
He added that they were trying to learn something the country lacked which was administration. We are trying in coordination with the Arab and Foreign experts to build up an ideal administration by making all authorities involved in activities of investors be here to facilitate and accelerate projects routine, he said.
At the end of his speech he stressed the importance of facilitating investment channels for investors to be a strong competitor with other neighboring free zones.
General Director of the General Investment Authority, Mr. Abdulkareem Mateer said an amendment draft for investment law had been presented to make more facilities and guarantees for investors. He also spoke about a suggestion to change the license system into a registration.
Talking about investment projects since the establishment of the free zone he said that 3361 projects at the cost of YRs 542 billion were licensed until June 2000. Those projects helped create 109,802 job opportunities, he added.
An extended meeting for businessmen was organized for businessmen in which they discussed the difficulties they faced in paying the Zakat (A mount of money taken by the government to be given to the poor.) They requested that such matters be left for traders and businessmen to do according to available lists of poor families .
In response to this suggestion, director of Duties Authority said that the government spend an annual amount of YRs 2 billion on poor families in Aden through the Social Care Fund, Aden, whose main resource is Zakat. He refuted what some traders say about spending zakat revenues illegally.

DED Launches Vaccination Campaign in Manakha
Report & photo: Hisham Qubati, Manakha
A high ranking delegation from Deutscer Entwicklungsdienst (DED) (German Development Service) headquarters in Germany attended an extensive vaccination campaign in Manakha last Saturday. As the delegation approached vaccination location, tens of people gathered welcoming them with fireworks and traditional dances. In their reception also were Anett Sander, the German baby nurse supervising health centers of the whole area which amount to 19 centers over the district, Mohammed Salah Al-Anisy, Ahmad Saleh Al-Anisy and Abdullah Ahmad Hussain from the health office.
As the vaccination kit was staged tens of women carrying their babies and others by themselves started to flow to the location. The vaccination team included Rajaa Muhsen, chairwomen of vaccination department in Manakha, Ali Nasser Ali, Fatima Ahmad Al-Harazi and Ibtisam Yahia Ateeq.
In a short interview with the Yemen Times Anett Sander who had been working in Manakha for ten months said that her job is confined to supervising health work process in Manakha centers.
As part of the DED strategy in health development, they train Yemeni cadres so that they can replace them in the course of time. In this context, Anitt organized, in cooperation with the health office, a three-day training course on vaccination during May 27-29 this year. Representatives of the whole centers took part in the course. Sander said that she was even planning to organize more courses on family planning in the future. On the other hand, many trainees come to Manakha center and stayed there for weeks to be trained by watching. About peoples cooperation, Anett said that many people come to them, specially when she paid field visits through the villages of the district.
In the afternoon of the same day the visiting delegation made a tour of Al-Hajjarah tourist city and enjoyed watching its tall building crowned with fogs.
Health development is the main focus of DED in Yemen. Besides, the DED has various activities involving the technical and vocational training, small business promotion, management and administration, construction and infrastructure, agriculture, forestry and national resources management, general education, community and social work, rural development and promotion of women.

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