Jordan Times
Thursday, June 24, 2004
US ambassador visits Al Hussein Ben Abdullah II QIZ in Karak Governorate
AMMAN (JT) — At the outset of a two-day tour of southern Jordan, US Ambassador Edward W. Gnehm on Wednesday visited Al Hussein Ben Abdullah II Industrial Estate/Qualified Industrial Zone (QIZ).
QIZ factories, whose products are exported
largely to the United States, represent a growing source of employment for
Jordanian workers and are responsible for a dramatic growth in the Jordanian
export sector.
Ambassador Gnehm toured the Camel Textile International Corporation (Camel IntĚl),
receiving a briefing on an in-house training programme underway for Jordanian
workers to gain skills in manufacturing ready-made garments.
Camel IntĚl — a subsidiary of Taiwan-based Kuowha Company — is the largest
manufacturing company at the QIZ industrial estate. It produces apparel for
export, most of which is sold to buyers in the United States.
The company employs 3,500 workers, half of whom are Jordanians, mostly from the
Karak area. The company is in the process of expanding with two new buildings
coming on line that will employ an additional 1,000 — 1,500 workers, many before
the end of the year.
The ambassador also visited Expo Uniform Inc., part of Taleen Inc., a
U.S.-Jordanian joint venture to manufacture garments, which will begin
production in July with an initial workforce of 200 Jordanian workers.
Inaugurated under the patronage of His Majesty King Abdullah in October 2000, Al
Hussein Ben Abdullah II Industrial Estate (QIZ) has created thousands of jobs
for Jordanians and exported millions of dollars in goods to foreign markets.
Export production at the QIZ rose from $25 million in 2001 to $100 million in
2003. During the first quarter of 2004 alone, exports produced in the Al Hussein
Bin Abdullah II Industrial Estate (QIZ) totalled $35 million, all in the
garments sector. These exports generate important revenue and jobs for the
citizens of Karak.
Since their inception in 1998, QIZs in Jordan have resulted in 35,000 new jobs,
of which roughly 65 per cent are held by Jordanians. Total revenues for all QIZs
in 2003 reached $560 million, and are on pace in 2004 to reach nearly $1
billion. Training programmes such as the one under way at Camel International
aim to further increase the percentage of Jordanians working in QIZs.