Jordan Times
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
$12m grant to support
ongoing USAID initiatives for promoting growth
The grant is the first portion of a US economic assistance package
expected to total $350m for 2005
Rana Dino
AMMAN — The US will grant $12 million in economic assistance to Jordan under an
agreement signed Monday.
US Charge d'Affaires David Hale and United States Agency for International
Development (USAID) Director Anne Aarnes signed the agreement on behalf of the
US, while Planning and International Cooperation Minister Suhair Al-Ali signed
on behalf of Jordan. The grant is the first portion of a US economic assistance
package expected to total $350 million for the fiscal year 2005.
Under the grant agreement, the United States will support ongoing USAID
initiatives aimed at promoting broad-based economic growth in Jordan.
One of the activities to be supported by this grant agreement is the USAID
Achievements of Market-Friendly Initiatives and Results Programme (AMIR), which
aims to assist Jordan in the development of an economic climate conducive to
investment and trade.
Other activities cover the Jordan-US Business Partnership (JUSBP) and the
development of the Aqaba Special Economic Zone.
JUSBP assists Jordanian companies to find and exploit new export opportunities
in order to creat jobs for Jordanian citizens.
According to a US embassy official, some USAID-funded programmes will receive
grants to initiate new projects.
INJAZ, a school-based youth business skill initiative, will receive grants to
expand its programme to more communities in the Kingdom. The programme is
currently active in Amman, Aqaba, Maan and Irbid.
He indicated that AMIR will receive grants to initiate a new project, which will
offer business development assistance through a series of workshops and training
opportunities aimed at female owners of small businesses.
Grants will also be received by the JUSBP to develop a plan for a transitional
period to help it continue activities when their direct USAID funding is phased
out in October, the official added.
Noting the support for ongoing trade promotion programmes, Hale said the
agreement includes funds to help Jordanian manufacturers secure new export
markets, “that create new jobs and expand the number of beneficiaries from
bilateral initiatives like the US-Jordan Free Trade Agreement.”
The grant agreement was signed at the Applied University of Jordan, which the US
has helped with grants worth $200,000 by supplying it with equipment, supplies
and other forms of technical assistance, added Hale.
Programmes such as these, remarked Hale, demonstrate how the US is helping to
make Jordan's youth more competitive in the important sector of tourism.