26 July 2008
As part of Yemen LNG’s objective to leave a positive legacy in its operating locality and in the country as a whole, the company kicked off a sustainable development programme with a budget of $26 million over the next five years (2008-2012) aiming at improving the quality of life and livelihood development opportunities of communities residing alongside the Yemen LNG pipeline (which crosses both Marib and Shabwah Governorates) and around the LNG liquefaction plant in Balhaf, Shabwah Governorate.

In its last meeting in June 2008, Yemen LNG Board of Directors approved the Long Term Sustainable Development (SD) Strategy which confirms Yemen LNG’s commitment to invest in the development of Yemen LNG neighbours in a sustainable way that benefits both the neighbouring communities and Yemen LNG in the long term. It focuses mainly on improving the social and economic conditions of neighbouring communities.

With such a large budget - $26 million – the Yemen LNG SD Strategy will focus on four main programme areas namely, aquaculture (26% of the $26m budget), agriculture (17%), vulnerability alleviation (23%) and social development (34%). Under these four programme areas, the Yemen LNG SD team has identified around 150 projects that should benefit more than 17,000 people. It is noteworthy that the projects already identified will be implemented in partnership with local and national government departments through non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

Beginning of July, Yemen LNG initiated the apiculture (bee keeping) element of the SD Strategy. The objective of the apiculture programme is to improve the beekeeping infrastructure and build capacity to improve the quality and increase the yield per hive. Currently, there is no or little scientific knowledge of apiculture and the methods being currently approached by local beekeepers are wasteful, and resources available are used in unsustainable way. As a result, honey production per hive remains low. Therefore, the YLNG-sponsored apiculture programme aims to achieve the following:

- Introduce more efficient hives and modern equipment.
- Establish 4 apiculture schools in Saada, Al Dhahera, Wadi Salmun and Wadi Maheed districts, Shabwa governorate, where beekeepers will be trained on how to manage hives and use more modern practices and equipment.
- Improve the collective scientific and practical knowledge on bees and beekeeping.
- Plant up to 30,000 new Elb trees.
- Create Small to Medium Enterprises (SME) to support the manufacturing of modern beehives to meet future demand.

There are 390 beekeeping households and 60 vulnerable households registered in the programme and an additional 50 households in Al Ayn village in which the Elb trees will be planted. Planting Elb trees in the region is expected to attract beekeepers from outside the pipeline Right of Way.

For the purpose of building the capacity of beekeepers in the selected areas, Yemen LNG has hired the technical expertise of Thierry &Camille Sergent (Apiculture Consultants). Camille and Thierry have successfully implemented similar projects on Soqotra Island and through the Hadramout Governorate and have proposed a three-year project to improve the individual beekeeping skills in the key honey producing areas along the Yemen LNG pipeline.