Resource information
The Republic of Yemen has experienced
steady development in the recent past and its Gross Domestic
Product (GDP) per capita is approaching US$1,000. By many
aspects, Yemen is unique. It is still a rural country (with
more than 70 percent of the population living in the
countryside). It has about 140,000 villages and small
settlements spread out all over the territory, many of which
still need road access and harbor most of the country's
poor (40 percent of the total population). Given the uneven
distribution of population, transport demand varies
enormously between different parts of the country. It is
highest by far in the densely populated mountainous
northwest part of the country and generally very small in
the vast low density eastern part. Transport is essential to
ensure that the rural areas participate in the main stream
of economic and social life. Transport is also essential for
trade, which is a key to the future of the economy. This is
reinforced by the fact that most of the population is
located away from the coastal areas, including the capital
city, Sana'a, in some of the most difficult terrain one
could find in any country of the world. This report
comprises three main parts: (i) a broad assessment of the
situation of the Yemeni road sector and a comparison with
countries similar to Yemen; (ii) an analysis of the
sector's main issues; and (iii) an agenda for reform.
