Jordan Times
Thursday, July 21, 2005
Jordan gets $333.6 million US
grant
Total US assistance to Jordan this
year reaches $650 million: $300 million for the military,
and $350 million for economic opportunities
By Rami Abdelrahman
AMMAN — The United States granted the Kingdom $333.6 million yesterday, to be
spent on water, health, education, governance and economic opportunities.
According to Planning and International Cooperation Minister Suhair Al-Ali, the
sum includes a cash transfer of $180 million to the state budget, to help it
deal with “fiscal challenges it is facing, and to be spent on several projects
included in the budget.”
Al-Ali explained that these difficulties are budgetary, as the government is
trying to minimise a growing budget deficit, exacerbated by soaring
international oil prices.
A statement released by the US embassy explained that as part of the total
grant, $35.38 million will be spent through the USAID to promote broad-based
economic growth, such as helping small and medium businesses establish
themselves and prepare them to integrate with the global economy.
Approximately $50 million will go to the water sector to finance projects such
as the south Amman wastewater plant and a project to provide water to northern
governorates, Al-Ali said in a press conference yesterday announcing the grants.
The funds will also be used to improve water distribution in Amman, and will
include technical assistance to the Aqaba Public Company, according to the
statement.
Under the grant agreement, the US will provide $60.26 million for projects in
health, education and governance sectors.
“This includes $17.8 million for improving safe motherhood services in 28 public
hospitals, developing a hospital accreditation system and implementing a
national health communication strategy designed to encourage healthier
lifestyles,” the statement added.
Concerning education, $28.6 million will be used in supporting a variety of
“cutting-edge programmes in the education sector designed to improve the way
children learn, and provide the youth with the skills needed to be competitive
in today's modern job markets.”
The remaining $13.8 million will be used to support activities aimed at
enhancing transparency and the rule of law and broad-based reforms initiated by
His Majesty King Abdullah.
These include “automation of the judiciary's case management system, improving
efficiency and responsiveness of the Parliament, and strengthening the media
sector and training of journalists.”
With this agreement, total US assistance to Jordan this year reached
approximately $650 million: $300 million for the military, and $350 million for
economic opportunities.
The US assistance programme is among the largest US assistance programmes in the
world, according to the statement. Since 1952, it totalled more than $4.4
billion.