Marble Sector Analysis

Country: Yemen

The objective of this project was to build a strategic framework for developing the marble and granite sector in Yemen. Implementation of this assignment relied on the Egyptian sector expertise, as an attempt of realizing “South-to-South cooperation” to benefit the emerging marble sector in Yemen through developing technical and trade linkages with the Egyptian marble companies.

The assignment commenced with a planning workshop, which we organized and facilitated in Yemen. The workshop was attended by sector stakeholders, governmental officials and representatives from IFC and different donor agencies operating in the country. We then developed a sector SWOT analysis to identify potential areas of improvement.

We also conducted site visits to selected companies and stone deposits in Yemen to develop a sector status overview. Semi-structured interviews with input suppliers and producers/exporters were conducted to derive information related to sector’s constraints and opportunities. Mapping of the value chain was developed and benchmarked against Egyptian practices as a successful comparative model. We then developed a complete gap analysis and recommendations for gap closure.