The International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) has expressed readiness to finance road projects in Yemen that would be implemented at a cost of $ 3.5 million, half of which would be as a donation, Saba reported. The announcement came at a meeting that gathered the IFAD delegation led by the regional director Nadim Khouri and the minister of Roads and Construction Omer al-Kurshmi. The meeting reviewed progress made in implementing projects financed by the IFAD as well as issues in relation to preparing good designs and maps of rural road projects in the country. Khouri hailed the level of carrying out projects, pointing out that the IFAD aims through supporting rural road projects at improving living conditions of the people of poor and rural areas in Yemen. He made clear the extra fund provided to support these projects would be used to protect valleys, building terraces and developing communities capabilities. The IFAD provided during the last period a sum of $ 9 million to finance the construction of roads at 215 km-long. These road projects would be implemented during 2008-2011. About 300.000 people in the provinces of Sana'a, Dhamar, Dhale, Rima, Amran, Saada, Hajjah, Taiz, Ibb, al-Baida and Maheet will take advantage of these projects.
