
Jordan secures over $2 billion for development projects — ministry
The Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation announced on Monday says that Jordan has secured more than $2.1 billion in grants and concessional loans to fund a number of high-impact national development projects (JT file)
AMMAN — Jordan has secured more than $2.1 billion in grants and concessional loans to fund a number of high-impact national development projects, the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation announced on Monday.
According to a government performance report released by the Ministry of Government Communication, the financing agreements were finalised in April with major international partners, including the World Bank, Germany's KfW Development Bank, the Embassy of the Netherlands, and the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD).
The funds are intended to support Jordan's economic modernisation programme, enhance infrastructure, and strengthen social safety nets, the ministry said.
Agreements signed with the World Bank total $1.1 billion and target initiatives that stimulate economic growth, promote start-ups and small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), expand social protection, and improve the reliability of the Kingdom's electricity supply, Al Mamlaka TV reported.
A key component includes a $400 million Development Policy Loan aimed at improving competitiveness, boosting exports, and increasing employment opportunities, particularly for youth and women. Another $400 million will support the Resilient and Sustainable Social Protection Programme, designed to strengthen the country's response to economic shocks and protect vulnerable populations.
Additionally, the second phase of the Jordan Entrepreneurship Fund, with a $50 million investment, will support high-growth start-ups in sectors such as ICT, fintech, green tech, and health tech. A further $250 million is allocated to enhance the efficiency and financial sustainability of the electricity sector, part of Jordan's transition to cleaner energy sources.
The ministry also signed a 200 million euro ($215 million) loan agreement with KfW to support the Kingdom's economic modernisation vision. The German development bank described the funding as 'unconditional financial credit' offered at a pivotal time for Jordan's reform agenda.
In a bid to bolster water security, The Netherlands committed 31 million euros ($33 million) in grant funding for the National Water Carrier Project, which aims to desalinate 300 million cubic metres of water annually. The project is expected to serve nearly four million residents and address worsening climate-related water shortages.
Meanwhile, Jordan launched a new five-year Country Partnership Strategy (2025–2029) with the AFESD, valued at $690 million. The strategic partnership will prioritise investments in water and energy infrastructure, vocational training, and private sector development.
The Kingdom secured a $65 million soft loan to finance the development of the Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah LNG Port.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Jordan Times
19 minutes ago
- Jordan Times
Jordan, Egypt sign agreements to boost cooperation, multi-sector partnerships
AMMAN — Jordan and Egypt on Tuesday concluded the 33rd session of their Joint Higher Committee by signing nine agreements aimed at enhancing cooperation across multiple sectors. The meeting was co-chaired by Prime Minister Jafar Hassan and Egypt Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly. The agreements span key areas including energy, electricity interconnection, investment, industry, tourism, transport, and transit. Both countries reaffirmed their commitment to building on their longstanding fraternal ties, guided by His Majesty King Abdullah and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi, to promote mutual interests, according to a Prime Ministry statement. Prime Minister Hassan described Jordan-Egypt relations as a benchmark for Arab cooperation, highlighting that regular committee meetings since 1985 have deepened collaboration across numerous fields. He also pointed to continuous growth in trade volumes, increasing Jordanian private sector investment in Egypt, and expanding opportunities in tourism, transport, and transit. Hassan emphasised the shared commitment to broadening cooperation in energy and electricity networks, including activating the trilateral mechanism involving Iraq. Addressing economic challenges common to both countries, he stressed that creating job opportunities for youth is a top priority underpinning the Economic Modernisation Vision, which seeks to attract investment, stimulate growth, and boost employment, the statement said. On regional matters, Hassan affirmed that Jordan and Egypt stand united on key challenges, foremost the Palestinian cause and the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza. Both prime ministers condemned the "brutal" conflict, called for intensified efforts to end the aggression, ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid, reject starvation tactics in Gaza, and oppose provocative actions in the West Bank and Jerusalem. Hassan lauded Egypt's significant role in Gaza, noting ongoing coordination at leadership and ministerial levels, according to the statement. Regarding Syria, Hassan reaffirmed Jordan's support for the new Syrian government's efforts to restore security, stability, and prosperity, and to address pressing challenges through cooperation. Madbouly highlighted the deep-rooted bilateral relations and voiced Egypt's eagerness to remove obstacles hindering economic cooperation, citing energy, gas supply, and electricity interconnection as exemplary areas of partnership. He also affirmed both countries' rejection of any attempts to alter the demographic or geographic status in Gaza or the West Bank. Madbouly stressed that Egypt and Jordan maintain full coordination on developments in Gaza, the West Bank, and other regional issues. The agreements signed include an executive programme for scientific cooperation between Jordan's Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation and Egypt's National Planning Institute; an executive programme between Jordan's Free and Development Zones Group and Egypt's General Authority for Investment and Free Zones and a memorandum of understanding on consumer protection, according to the statement. Additional agreements cover cooperation in local development, protecting cultural heritage and combating illicit antiquities trade, a memorandum of understanding between the finance ministries of the two countries, an executive programme for youth cooperation (2025–2028), a programme to implement a memorandum of understanding between the ministries of Awqaf (religious endowments) and an agreement on government procurement cooperation.


Jordan Times
19 minutes ago
- Jordan Times
Lebanese craftsman keeps up tradition of tarboosh hat-making
TRIPOLI, Lebanon — Nestled among shops in a bustling market in north Lebanon's Tripoli, Mohammed Al Shaar is at his workshop making traditional tarboosh hats, keeping up a family craft despite dwindling demand. With a thimble on one finger, Shaar, 38, cuts, sews and carefully assembles the pieces of the conical, flat-topped felt hat also known as a fez, attaching a tassel to the top. Reputedly the last tarboosh craftsman in Lebanon, the Tripoli native has been making the hats for 25 years in know-how passed on by his grandfather. "Our family has been carrying on this craft for 125 years," said Shaar, who also studied tarboosh making in Egypt. The brimless hats made with maroon, black or green felt, some bearing floral motifs or embroidered with Lebanon's national emblem, the cedar, sit on display in the small workshop. While the tarboosh has been around in Lebanon for several centuries, it became particularly common during the late Ottoman period. "The tarboosh used to have great value -- it was part of day-to-day dress, and the Lebanese were proud of it," Shaar said, noting the hat now is largely seen as a traditional item or appealing to tourists. "Nowadays, people barely wear the tarboosh, except for traditional events," he said. As well as a onetime symbol of prestige or social status, the hat was used for non-verbal communication, Shaar said. "When a man wanted to woo a beautiful young woman, he used to slightly tip his tarboosh to the left or right," he said, while knocking someone's tarboosh off was offensive. As successive crises have hit Lebanon, including a catastrophic 2020 port explosion in Beirut and a recent war between Israel and Hizbollah, tourism has diminished. Shaar said his "work has slowed, and demand for the tarboosh has dropped" as a result. Sales have plummeted to just four or five of his handmade hats a month compared to around 50 before the crisis, he said. Recent customers have mainly been music and dance troops, or religious figures who wear the tarboosh covered with a turban. Shaar said he used to employ three others but now works alone, selling his handmade hats for around $30. But he said he wasn't about to close up shop or abandon his passion for tarboosh making. "I feel like my soul is linked to this craft. I don't want to shut or to stop working," he said.


Jordan Times
2 hours ago
- Jordan Times
17,300 bounced cheques worth JD109m recorded in July — JoPACC
AMMAN — The total value of bounced cheques in Jordan fell to JD109 million in July, marking a 3.2 per cent decline compared with JD113 million recorded in June, the Jordan Payment and Clearing Systems Company (JoPACC) said on Tuesday. Data from JoPACC, cited by the public service TV Al Mamlaka, showed that 17,300 cheques were returned last month. Of these, 65.2 per cent were bounced due to insufficient funds, totalling JD76.5 million, while the remaining 34.8 per cent were returned for technical reasons, amounting to JD36.7 million. The number of cheques processed in July also saw a slight decrease of 2.1 per cent, with 551,000 cheques in circulation, compared with 562,000 in June. Despite the drop in returned cheques, the overall value of cheques circulated in the market rose by 9.8 per cent in July, reaching JD3.68 billion, JoPACC said. During the first seven months of 2025, cheques worth a total of JD23.27 billion were circulated in Jordan. The total number of cheques processed in the Kingdom in 2024 stood at 6.51 million, with a combined value of JD40.3 billion.