Launch of Conference and Exhibition in Yemen

Mahathir: Yemen Must Produce Quality Products To Industrialise

Former Prime Minister of Malaysia Tun Mahathir Mohamad is Guest of Honour at Yemen industry conference and exhibition

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 22 (Bernama) — Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today Yemen should always ensure that its products are of good quality if it wishes to industrialise. “Then in future people will trust all Yemeni products. And when they do this, the progress of industrialisation would be easier and faster,” he said in his speech during a talk on “Industry, The Country’s Future” at the “Made in Yemen” conference in Mukalla.

He said if “Made in Yemen” goods were to be sold in the local market and in other countries, then its quality standards must be very high. “Once buyers are confident that the quality standards are always maintained selling the products would become much easier,” he was quoted saying in a statement released here today.

Dr Mahathir said Yemen would be able to industrialise if it chooses the right products to manufacture. He said to be an industrialised country, the first need was a government that was interested to do so as it played a big role in the industrialisation process. “It must be prepared to make adjustments in policies and even make sacrifices so as to enable the capital and the technology to be made available for the industries,” he said.

Dr Mahathir said although the industrialisation could be carried out by the government itself, the quality of the products was usually poor and could not compete in the world market. “If I may say so, it is far better if the industrialisation is carried out by the private sector. “The need to make private industries profitable ensures that it is well managed and the products would be of good quality, competitively priced and readily accepted by the consumers,” he said.

However, Dr Mahathir said in some instances, it was necessary for the government to start the industry before privatising. The government, he said, must contribute by providing good laws to support industry by designing taxes to encourage industries to be set up. “Sometimes making industries tax-free would facilitate and attract investment in industries,” he said.

He said the government would also get more revenue because of the prosperity created by industries. The government, he said, must also ensure that the administration was efficient and free from corruption because industrialisation was difficult to achieve if corruption was rampant.

He said the political head of government must take an interest in ensuring that the time-table for approval was adhered to by the administrators and if there is a delay, he must make enquiries particularly when there was a complaint from the applicants concerned. “This way the opportunities for corruption would be minimal,” he said.

Dr Mahathir said apart from having good training and educational facilities to produce skilled workers and managers, the government must also provide the necessary infrastructure. He also pointed out the importance of research for quality enhancement, packaging and branding for the products to enjoy premium prices.

All news reports from Yemen News Agency (Sabanews.net) on 22 December 2008:

Prime Minister launches the First National Industry Conference

MUCALLA, Dec. 22 (Saba)-Prime Minister Ali Mujawar launched on Monday the Fist National Industry Conference in Yemen. The two-day conference is organized by Hadramout Commerce and Industry Chamber in cooperation with Ministry of Industry and Commerce.

In the ceremony, Mujawar spoke to the attendants and welcomed Yemen’s businessmen guests who came from brotherly and friendly countries, hoping the conference success for realizing its aims. ” Our political leadership and the government belief in importance of improving wise governance system in Yemen for it is considered the basic approach for pushing forward development path and it is the ideal way for nationalizing the industry and attracting foreign investments,” said the prime minister.

He talked about economic, financial and administrative reforms Yemen has been carrying out since 1995 and considered them basic axis for economic and social development, noting that development path has been enhanced in the national agenda for reforms.

He renewed call to Yemeni, Arab and Foreign investors to make use of investment facilitations the country provides and utilizing investment opportunities available in Yemen. He reviewed projects of setting up industrial zones. He noted that three zones have been launched till now in governorates of Aden, Hudeidah and Lahj. He described launching these zones as important step.

For his part, Previous Malaysian Prime Minister Mahthir Mohammad talked about Malaysia industrial experience and steps the country has followed for realizing inclusive renaissance via promoting industries “Yemen has to work much for creating suitable industrial environment that would have great reflection on middle term if we don’t say in short range. Many countries have become rich because of wealth reflected by industry process,” said Mohammad.

He affirmed that Yemeni government must be ready to amend its different laws and legislations unable to attract local and foreign investments. He asserted improving administrative performance for eradicating corruption which is increasing by management’s bad performance.

“If you could create competence in Yemen, industrial development will be easy,” he said. He indicated importance of combating financial and administrative corruption in terms of granting investments licenses that must be short, “laws are not able to fight corruption.”

“Yemeni government must provide necessary infrastructure wither ports or electricity, roads, waters or others and providing training and qualification centers,” said previous Malaysian Prime Minister. He noted that Yemen has to create industries of high quality to be able to enter contest actively.

For his part, Yemeni Minister of Industry Yahya al-Mutawakel affirmed importance of giving Yemeni industry and its different activities all concern and care saying that industry sector did not get due care in the past. He noted that contribution of transformation industry in GDP does not exceed 6%. He affirmed government’s keenness on giving this sector enough care and concern for realizing complete benefit of its promising capabilities.

Mujawar opens Yemeni Industries Show in Mukalla

MUKALLA, Dec. 22 (Saba)- Prime Minister Ali Mujawar opened Yemeni Industries Show on Monday. Along with Malaysian Previous Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad, Mujawar toured a number of the show’s suites. The suites included a number of Yemeni product made by great Yemeni companies and a number of products of Malaysian companies. He expressed admiration for the Yemeni industries he saw in the show. He argued manufacturers to double efforts for improving quality of the national industry and make it able to contest with equivalent Arab industries. He stressed on Yemeni manufacturers to take care of marketing process and propagation for their products to keep pace with modern developments in field of manufacturing.

Mujawar meets Mahathir Mohammed

MUKALLA, Dec. 22 (Saba) – Prime Minister Ali Mujawar met on Monday in Mukalla city with former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammed, who is participating in the conference “Industry Future of Yemen “which started its activities on Monday in Mukalla. They have reviewed Yemeni-Malaysian economic and cultural cooperation relations and their future horizons, particularly means of boosting joint investment work in oil, minerals, tourism, fishery wealth sectors and confirming to make use of the significant Malaysian economic experiences which was led by Dr. Mahathir Mohammed.

Mujawar has confirmed the need for institutional development for cooperation relations between the two countries at governmental and private sector levels and exchanging databases about ways of investment, indicating interest to make advantage of Malaysian experiences and apply them in Yemen to boost economic and human development activities. On his part, Mahathir showed Malaysia’s readiness to offer its experiences in industrial and human development fields, so as to serve Yemen’s trend in industrial development, pointing out Malaysian appreciation for significant role of pioneer Yemeni emigrants who contributed in spreading Islam and building of Malaysia. He revealed that Malaysians or Yemeni origins are still representing strong link between the two countries and contribute in boosting connection operations and improving mutual ties.

Mahathir Mohammad in Yemen for Mukalla industry conference

MUKALA, Dec. 22 (Saba) – Former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohammad has arrived in Mukala for a visit during which he will take part in the Conference of “Industry is the Future of Yemen.” The conference is to start later today  in Mukalla city under sponsorship by President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Arriving in the city, Mahathir said the visit comes at the invitation of Prime Minister Ali Muhammad Mujawar and the Hadramout Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He said he will take advantage of the visit to participate in several scientific activities with Yemeni economists and university students as well as holding talks with senior Yemeni officials. At the conference Mahathir will present a summary of his economic experience and he will review the Malaysian experience in management of industrial development and factors of the success of this experience, he said.

Yemen has large investment opportunities, Malaysian official says

SANA’A, Dec. 22 (Saba) – President of the Malaysian Malay Chamber of Commerce Sayed Ali al-Attas said Yemen has large investment opportunities in various sectors. The Yemeni-Malaysian Investment Symposium and the conference on ‘ Industry is the Future of Yemen’ provide Malaysian businessmen with the opportunity to familiarize themselves with these opportunities and to promote contact between the two countries, al-Attas said. “The Yemeni government should promote its economic potentials and investment opportunities abroad to introduce them to foreign investors.” He said. Sectors which would be given priority by Malaysian investors over the next five years include the tourism sector as Yemen enjoys attractive tourist elements; the environment sector as Yemen has four preservations internationally recognized by the UNESCO; and the sectors of technical education and vocational training as well as industry and industrial zones, al-Attas said.