US embassy cable - 05SANAA128

UNCLAS SANAA 000128 
 
SIPDIS 
 
PLEASE PASS TO EB/CBA - DENNIS WINSTEAD. 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: BEXP, ABUD, BTIO, ETRD, EINV, YM, ECON/COM 
SUBJECT: BFIF 2004 END OF YEAR REPORT - YEMEN 
 
REF: A. 04 SECSTATE 238763 
     B. 04 SANAA 228 
 
1. Embassy Sanaa expanded its outreach to local businessmen 
and women in FY 2004 by sponsoring the Small and Medium 
Enterprise (SME) Development and Management Workshop, held 
September 12 to 14, at the Sanaa Chamber of Commerce.  This 
three-day training workshop focused on the basics of 
entrepreneurship, including: Business and financial planning 
and management, business negotiations, marketing, finance and 
budgets.  Structured like a graduate business management 
course, the training seminars employed a wide variety of 
small group exercises on improving inventory flows to case 
study analyses and SME time management. 
 
2. At an end of workshop feedback session, participants 
praised the proactive nature of the training.  Several 
requested specialized follow-up training sessions on such 
issues as finance and intermediate marketing.  Participants 
also shared their appreciation for the tangible 
skill-building efforts of the Embassy to help improve the 
business environment in Yemen. 
 
3. Since the time since the SME workshop, and as a result of 
the positive press and publicity it garnered, government 
agencies and local NGOs such as the Sanaa offices of the 
World Bank's International Finance Corporation, Ministry of 
Trade and Industry, and Yemen Development Foundation, have 
contacted the Embassy to request information-sharing and 
guidance on structuring their own vocational training 
workshops and programs. 
 
4. Conferences and workshops that are free-of-charge to 
participants in Yemen often experience sporadic and uneven 
participation and attendance.  To insure serious 
participation, a modest registration fee schedule was 
devised.  As a result, the workshop enjoyed an unusually 
consistent attendance rate among participants; 35 of the 38 
registered participants completed all eight sessions in the 
workshop. 
 
5. Below is an outline of project costs.  Financial 
accounting is based on a currency exchange rate of 184 Yemeni 
Riyals (YR) to one USD.  Post will transfer the remaining 
funds to EB/EX through the BFIF fund cite. 
 
Total BFIF Funds for Project Cost: 6,250.00 
 
Incoming funds in registration fees: 950.22 
 
Expenses:   2732.93 
- Training and Consultancy Fee: 2415.00 
- Venue provided free of charge courtesy of Sanaa Chamber of 
Commerce 
- Labor Costs: 73.37 
- Renting of audio/visual equipment and other presentation 
supplies: 85.59 
 
Budget Balance returned to BFIF Fund Cite: 3,835.00 
 
Registration revenue (cash) to be transferred to BFIF Fund 
Cite: 791.25 
 
6. A package of documents including a detailed expenditure 
report, receipts, and other BFIF program information will be 
sent via email to BFIF Program Manager Dennis Winstead. 
KRAJESKI