WASHINGTON, June 30 (KUNA) -- The World Bank has approved an additional USD100 million for the second phase of the Yemen Emergency Electricity Access Project, which is designed to improve access to electricity in rural and peri-urban areas in Yemen and to plan for the restoration of the country's power sector. This new funding builds on activities supported by a USD 50 million parent project, which began in 2018, the Bank said in a press release on Thursday.
The grant from the World Bank's fund for the poorest countries, the International Development Association (IDA), will provide 3.5 million people, of whom an estimated 48% (1,680,000) are women and girls, with new or improved services to electricity.
It will also provide around 700 public services facilities and 100 schools with new or improved electricity services, helping Yemenis to have better access to critical services. The project will be implemented by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) in collaboration with local stakeholders.
Yemen's rural and peri-urban electrical power sector was not spared from the ravages of the war. The few rural and peri-urban areas that received power from the grid before the conflict began in 2015 have either seen their infrastructure destroyed or cannot get electricity because too little is being generated by the main grid. "By electrifying public health centers and schools, the project will help preserve and develop Yemen's greatest asset: its human capital" said Tania Meyer, World Bank Country Manager for Yemen. "Through the project, small and innovative businesses will be able to gain access to solar systems, encouraging job creation, and economic recovery," she added. (end) asj.gb