Transport Connectivity – Transformation along the Silk Road and beyond
Yama Yari
H.E. Yama Yari, one of the youngest members of the cabinet of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, has been serving as the Minister of Transport (MoT) since December 2018.
Previously he served as the Minister of Public Works (MPW) between August 2017 and December 2018 and implemented fundamental reforms based on a 5-Year Strategic Plan. The reform resulted in exponential increase in budget execution rate of 97.5% for the first time in 17 years. Service delivery, accountability and the fight against corruption are the key pillars of his leadership.
More importantly, his strategic vision for the transport sector led to one of the biggest administrative & governance reforms encompassing the sector in which 5 entities; Ministry of Public Works, Ministry of Transport, Civil Aviation Authority, Railway Authority and Traffic Authority were merged under the single umbrella of the new Ministry of Transport (MoT).
Between September 2014 and September 2017, he served as the Director General of the National Procurement Authority (NPA) at the Administrative Office of the President. Mr. Yari spearheaded the public procurement reform initiative in Afghanistan that led to the creation of National Procurement Authority (NPA), the National Procurement Commission (NPC), and the National Procurement Institute, three of the most successful reform initiatives undertaken by the National Unity Government of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.
Mr. Yari successfully brought and implemented essential reforms encompassing legal framework, strategy, policies and mechanisms for capacity development, transparency and accountability within the procurement system which resulted in financial savings of more than 200 Million USD over a period of less than three years. In October 2016, H.E. President Ghani awarded Mr. Yari the High State Medal of Honour in recognition of his valuable services, achievements and efforts in public sector reform and the fight against corruption.
In 2013, he was appointed as a Senior Advisor to the Afghanistan Railway Autority, an organisation he also helped to establish and develop to a level where it became member of the International Union of Railways (UIC) and the Organization for the Cooperation of Railways (OSJD). In early 2012, he served as an Advisor to the Ministry of Public Works.
From 2006 till 2011, he worked as a civil and structural engineer in the United Kingdom with internationally reputable companies, such as the Waterman Group, Capita Symonds and Crossrail.
Mr. Yari holds a First Class Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Brighton (UK), and a Master of Science Degree in Engineering & Business Management from the renowned Imperial College London. He was also the recipient of the Student Prize from the Institute of Civil Engineers (ICE) for his outstanding performance in Civil Engineering studies.
In 2018, Integrity Watch Afghanistan (IWA), the most credible civil society transparency organization in the country, named Mr. Yari the Anti-Corruption Champion of the Afghan government. Mr. Yari’s efforts & collaboration with IWA led to Afghanistan’s membership to the Open Government Partnership (OGP) in 2017, an international platform advocating for civic space and cooperation between government and the civil society.