[12/May/2010]

DOHA, May 12 (Saba)- Sheikha Mozah Nasser al-Misnad, chair of the Silatech Board of Advisers, is to arrive in Sana’a Wednesday to visit Silatech’s partners and observe Silatech’s progress in programmes throughout the Yemeni capital, the Qatari daily Gulf Times has reported.

Silatech’s programmes in Yemen cover two focus areas: employment and enterprise development. Silatech is helping young Yemenis access job opportunities through training and qualifications.

It is also helping them start or grow their own businesses through first-time access to finance, entrepreneurship training and related business development services.

Silatech is an innovative initiative engaging the private, public and civil society sectors to promote large-scale job creation, entrepreneurship and access to capital for young people.

In Yemen, Silatech’s employment programme focuses on the creation of an internationally accredited Construction Skills Training Programme at Sana’a Community College to provide trained and qualified workers to the Qatari Diar/Shibam Holdings-sponsored construction project at Al-Rayyan Hills.

The centre, developed in partnership with Pearson Education and Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC) has provided training and qualifications to about 500 Yemeni workers in the last four months. It has trained and accredited 13 Yemeni trainers to an international standard, creating capacity to train and accredit up to 5,000 workers per year.

Thousands of young entrepreneurs get access to loans to start or grow their businesses through Youth Loan Fund, launched in partnership with Silatech, Al-Amal Microfinance Bank (AMB), Saudi Arabia’s AGFUND and the private sector in 2008.

A Youth Enterprise Programme, developed in partnership with the Small Enterprise Development Fund (SEDF), promotes self-employment by giving loans to commercially viable youth-led small businesses.

In its first 3 months of operation, this programme has supported close to 100 start-ups begin operations and grow.

The Silatech-sponsored Khadija project provides training and business incubation services to young women entrepreneurs and youth-led enterprises. Khadija also connects them to financing through loan products from institutions like Al-Amal Bank and the Small Enterprise Development Fund. This is implemented by the Youth Leadership Development Foundation and co-funded by the Small & Micro Enterprise Promotion Service.

The programme has attracted support from the private sector in Yemen including the Yemen Liquid Natural Gas Company which has come on board to help its expansion, for the first time, to serve young women entrepreneurs in the governorates of Marib and Shabwa.

“The quality of our partners in Yemen is the main reason why Silatech is able to contribute in such a meaningful way. We are grateful to our partners, particularly the Government of Yemen, for their support and guidance.

With the right kind of environment, we are excited to be in a position to support Yemen in one of its key policy priorities, the development of its young people and their participation in the nation’s economic development,” said Rick Little, chief executive officer of Silatech.

Since beginning work in Yemen in late 2009, Silatech, along with government and civil society partners, has supported nearly 6,000 young people in that country.
Saba