Jordan Times
Thursday, August 30, 2007
USAID/SABEQ to provide technical support, capacity building for women’s organisation
AMMAN (JT) - The USAID-funded Sustainable Achievement of Business Expansion and Quality Programme (SABEQ) will provide technical support and capacity- building to the Jordan Forum for Business and Professional Women (JFBPW).
Under a memorandum of understanding signed between both parties, SABEQ’s support includes institutional capacity-building for the association in developing demand-driven service packages for their members, linkage to other associations that are relevant to JFBPW’s activities, and general support in raising awareness and providing skill development opportunities through trainings and workshops.
Addressing the gathering which attended the signing ceremony, Planning and International Cooperation Minister Suhair Al-Ali underlined the important role that women should and can play in the growth and development of Jordan’s economy.
According to a SABEQ press release, the minister stressed that the government was continuously looking for effective ways to encourage more women to actively engage in the political, economic and social spheres.
“While over 90 per cent of Jordanian businesses are small- and medium-enterprises, only 4 per cent are owned by women,” the press release quoted the minister as saying.
She added that the government has been working hard to make the legal and institutional framework for private investment and enterprise inviting, not only for outside investors, but more importantly, for Jordanian men and women.
Jay Knott, USAID mission director spoke about the importance of supporting women-owned businesses to have easier and more reliable access to resources. He said that the USAID has a special interest in the advancement of women because economically empowered women are an important factor in successful development.
“In spite of consistent growth in women’s participation in the Jordanian workforce, the percentage of women in the workforce in Jordan is still low,” Knott indicated.
During the signing ceremony, several businesswomen highlighted the factors and obstacles that still exist for women as business owners and entrepreneurs, specifically issues related to gender discrimination, access to finance, and the social misperceptions of working women.
In the past months, SABEQ has initiated targeted interventions to further enhance women’s role in the private sector. These interventions are being carried out with a specific mandate to increase women-owned businesses and female representation in senior positions in the private sector.
To assure sustainability, gender interventions are conducted through strategic partnership with local organisations.
SABEQ is afive-year economic development initiative implemented by BearingPoint, Inc. The programme aims at supporting improvements in the business environment and providing assistance to the Jordanian private sector to expand innovation and enhance their productivity.