RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has deposited a second instalment of a grant for Yemen worth $250 million, Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday.
The aid is to help the Yemeni government counter its budget deficit, support economic reforms and food security, and assist salaries, wages, and operating expenses. It is the second instalment of a $1.2 billion grant announced in August 2023.
“The second batch of the grant to support addressing the budget deficit for the Yemeni government was transferred to the Central Bank of Yemen in Aden, amounting to $250 million to support salaries, wages, expenses, and food security,” the Saudi ambassador to Yemen Mohammed Al-Jaber said on social media platform X.
The support comes at the directives of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and is an affirmation of the Kingdom’s keenness to achieve security, stability, and development for the Yemeni people, SPA said.
It also aims to strengthen the Yemeni government’s budget, increase the purchasing power of Yemeni citizens, and support the economic recovery of Yemen.
The Kingdom announced that it would grant Yemen $1.2 billion in economic aid in August 2023, bringing the total amount of direct development and economic Saudi aid to the country to $11.2 billion between 2012 and 2023.