World Bank Approves Over $100 Million Funding for Yemen Economic Project

The World Bank approved funding on Wednesday for an economic project in Yemen with a total cost surpassing $100 million.

Afraah Al-Zouba, Yemen’s Minister of Planning and International Cooperation and Governor to the World Bank Group, announced in an official statement that the World Bank agreed to finance the "Cash for Nutrition and Livelihoods" project in Yemen with a grant of $100 million. Additionally, $1.8 million has been allocated to support the country’s resilience, recovery, and reconstruction efforts.

The statement clarified that this project aligns with the priorities of the new partnership framework between Yemen and the World Bank Group for the period 2026–2030. It corresponds with initiatives focused on economic recovery, enhancing food security, improving livelihoods, and gradually transitioning from humanitarian response to strengthening national institutional capacities.

The project targets households headed by pregnant and breastfeeding women, as well as mothers of children under two years old, in several provinces most affected by malnutrition and stunted growth. It provides targeted cash transfers combined with nutritional awareness sessions and early screenings for malnutrition. Cases requiring medical attention are referred to health services. The project also includes a livelihood support component through community savings and loan associations, alongside offering small-scale digital employment opportunities for youth.

Furthermore, the initiative encompasses measures to enhance institutional capacities, develop social protection systems and digital payment platforms, and facilitate beneficiaries’ access to official identification documents.

Al-Zouba emphasized that the approval of this project reflects the World Bank Group’s ongoing commitment to supporting the Yemeni people and demonstrates the depth of partnership with the government amid the exceptional circumstances facing the country.

She expressed Yemen’s anticipation of a more effective partnership during 2026–2030 that will contribute to improving citizens’ living conditions and strengthening the resilience of national institutions.

The statement also highlighted that the Yemeni government is confronting an unprecedented financial crisis due to the ongoing war with the Iran-backed Houthi group, which has lasted for nearly 12 years.