almotamar.net - Yemen's Minister of Industry and Trade Yahya al-Mutawakil said Saturday small industry constitutes 95% of the volume of industrial activity in Yemen and employs 43% of the Yemeni workforce and that "makes the local industry a major partner in alleviation of poverty and limiting unemployment in Yemen."

The Industry Minister added the government works for supporting the industrial activity through increasing financing resources in this activity in addition to simplifying administrative procedures regarding the industrial work, considering scarcity of financing as the biggest of hindrances of industrial action in Yemen.

In a press conference he held Saturday the Minister revealed that his ministry was working on implementing a programme called 'Made in Yemen'. The programme aims to enhance consumer-national industries partnership, raise rates of marketing and promote for the local product as wells improve the general income of the citizen. He also asserted that in the next year there will the opening of Amal (Hope) Bank for supporting and funding small enterprises.

Minister al-Mutawakil revealed that Prime Minister Ali Mohammed Mujawar is to open on Sunday meetings of the 4th Arab Forum for Small and Medium Industries to be held in Sana'a and will last until 27 of this month. The forum is to be attended by representatives for all Arab countries in addition to concerned Arab federations and societies and a group of Arab academics.

The minister also drew the attention that the committee entrusted by the President of the republic with encouraging the youth and giving them plots of agricultural land would focus on the point of innovation and renewal among the youth for the creation of their own projects.