Yemen’s minister of industry and trade Sa’ad Al-Din bin Talib has warned that the national economy is on the edge of collapse, Alahale reported on Sunday.
The old governance and economic equation which entitles special elites to use the national economy and helps spread corruption and illiteracy in a poor country that has been largely depending on renting is unhelpful.
“If there are not immediate reforms to boost good governance, better run economy and distribute wealth, failure will be inevitable,” he said, adding, “We are backed by international forces so that we never turn into a humanitarian tragedy in this world”.
The remarks were given at the opening of the first forum of the joint-stock corporations which was held recently in the capital Sanaa under the auspices of the industry and trade ministry.
The minister highlighted how productivity and investment flow into Yemen have halted in the past years and the state mechanism of relaying on renting. “Many corporations were formed to serve the interest of the regime and then corruption prevails including distributing large plots of land,” he said. “Economy is to bring funds through production not through donations or something like that”.
He urged to put an end to the phenomenon of possessing the national economic capabilities with weapons or the power of the tribe and to impose the rule of law. “If economic gains will be made with the weapons, we are not a state. The power of the tribe, the weapons and the forces will not help the economy to grow and then we should not expect a flow of investments,” he added.
Furthermore, he stressed the importance to accelerate the foundation of a Yemeni stock market because it remains an indicator of the government’s performance and provides many people with the opportunity to have shares in corporations. “One of the best ways to build a better economy is to establish joint-stock corporations with the aim to spread ownership as large as possible,” he concluded.