Empowering Yemen’s fisheries: A strategy for reform through public-private partnerships
Yemen’s fisheries sector needs urgent investment as war, infrastructure gaps, and governance issues hinder growth. This brief proposes public-private partnerships (PPPs) as a potential avenue forward, emphasising the need to build trust, strengthen collaboration and capacity, and establish a consultative council to support PPP implementation and steer investment towards priority projects.
Authors
Hélène Donnat Gonzalez Holguera
Policy Economist, State Fragility initiative, International Growth Centre
Saleh Fadhl
Policy Adviser, The Executive Bureau for the Acceleration of Aid Absorption and Support for Policy Reforms Yemen
Amna Mahmood
Policy Economist, State Fragility initiative, International Growth Centre
Sanjana Srivastav
Energy Economist, International Growth CentreNed White
International PPP and Climate Financing Specialist, Independent Consultant-
Ali-et-al-Policy-Brief-May-2025-English.pdf
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- The fisheries sector in Yemen is in dire need of additional investment in its infrastructure and equipment in order to fulfil its strategic role as a source of food security and a leading export sector.
- The current lack of both private or public investment is due to the high uncertainty caused by the war, rising fuel prices curbing exports, the lack of access to data on fish stocks, poor implementation of existing regulations, financial constraints in the ministry, and the lack of maintenance of critical infrastructure such as fish landing sites.
- The government lacks both the financial and human resources necessary to invest at the scale required. Public-private partnerships (PPPs) are a potential avenue forward, bringing in much-needed private sector investment to deliver public services.
- This policy brief highlights key factors for ensuring the success of PPPs in Yemen’s fisheries sector. These include restoring trust between the public and private sectors, building public sector capacity, ensuring efficient collaboration between stakeholders, and improving the enabling environment.
- Establishing a consultative council, supported by a technical secretariat, is an essential first step in fostering collaboration among public and private sector actors. This council brings together stakeholders to determine sector priorities and potential joint projects.