SANA'A* Nov. 23 ? A conference on the future of industry future in Yemen was held at the Ministry of Industry and Trade last Wednesday to discuss national industry and the role of mass media in supporting it. Organized by the Ministry of Industry and Trade* the Hadramout Chamber of Commerce* the Yemeni Businessmen's Club and the Yemeni Industrialists' Society* it was attended by the Minister of Industry and Trade* the Minister of Information and journalists. Dr. Yahya Al-Motwakel* Minister of Industry and Trade* said that Yemen is preparing a program for industry development with the Arabian Industry Organization. Stressing the role of the mass media in supporting the national industry* economic reporter Ibrahim Al-Ashmawi explained the current role of Yemeni media in supporting national industry. He highlighted its negative attitude towards national products and called for a media campaign to support and encourage the Yemeni industry. He pointed out that there are around 115 Yemeni newspapers and magazines* 10 radio stations* two cable TVs* six satellite channels and 1*000 websites in Yemen. Explaining the Yemeni media's treatment of economic issues and development* he mentioned that the percentage of economic programs in Yemeni channels is about 2.6 % of the total programs. Al-Ashmawi said that the media's negative attitude towards national product was due to many reasons including poor quality and low standards* limited advertisements* the competition of imported brands and a local mindset that thinks that foreign brands are better than local ones. He called for building consumer confidence* fighting smuggling and putting an end to consumer deception* explaining that building a stronger national industry would in turn create more work opportunities for Yemenis. The economic reporter suggested that the media promote high quality national brands and build Yemenis' confidence in them. He suggested establishing an administration of economic and industrial media* training economic journalists* developing economic sections in newspapers to highlight research findings in industry and technology to raise awareness of what is "made in Yemen". Citing the obstacles to industry development in Yemen* Abdulwasa?a Hayel Saeed* Yemeni businessman and investor said* "The biggest challenge that we face is poor infrastructure?. He said that although he owns a number of factories overseas* the ones he owns in Yemen are the most financially challenging. Al-Motwakel added that challenges to industry development in Yemen include out-dated industry laws from the 1970s* a lack of technical workforce* and the high cost of production as well as absence of information about the investment sector* in addition to both local and global competition. According to the minister* the Authority of Quality and Standards signed an agreement on its behalf with two international companies to manage the supervision of imports to ensure only high-quality products enter the country. The companies will also conduct a two-year training period for Yemeni personnel from the Authority of Standards and Quality. Journalists who participated in the conference criticized the private sector for not spending enough in advertising. Hussein Basleem* head of Yemen TV* said that the role of Yemeni businessmen in the promotion of national industry is "very low and sometimes zero". Made in Yemen According to Omar Bajarash* head of the Hadramout Chamber of Commerce* on Dec. 22 and 23 an international conference will be held in Al-Mukalla under the title ?Made in Yemen?. Former prime minister of Malaysia Mahathir Mohammed will share the Malaysian experience. The conference will discuss national strategy for industry development and businessmen from the Gulf will attend. Yemen will especially benefit from the Malaysian experiment due to the similarity between the two countries in culture and religion* according to Bajarash. Al-Motwakel said that no laws exist in Yemen to commit employers to employ Yemeni workers and that foreign nationals are welcome to partake in the Yemeni industrial sector. National manufacturing in Yemen contributes to about 10 percent of the GDP and around 4.5 percent of total workforce employment....

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