The Jordanian Businessmen Association, in cooperation with Emirati entrepreneurs, launched the “Jordanian-Emirati Investment Platform” to bolster Emirati investment in the Kingdom.
The platform is an interactive tool that leverages visual and auditory communication technology. It also serves as a regular meeting point for businessmen from both nations, presenting investment opportunities in Jordan and facilitating successful investment partnerships, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra.
Minister of Investment Khuloud Saqqaf said that Emirati investments in the Kingdom amount to $15 billion, distributed across vital sectors such as tourism, industry, energy, mining and infrastructure.
She affirmed the ministry’s readiness to support and streamline any necessary procedures for Emirati investors in Jordan.
The minister also highlighted Jordan’s success stories and the available investment opportunities, which currently number 36 with a total investment value of $1.4 billion. She also emphasised the importance of fostering robust business and private sector collaboration to enhance trade and investment relations between the two countries.
Jordanian Businessmen Association President Hamdi Tabbaa, described the UAE as a true partner in implementing development programmes and initiating investment projects in the Kingdom.
Tabbaa also noted that the UAE has significantly increased investment and trade exchange between the two countries, making it Jordan’s second-largest Arab trading partner, accounting for 6.2 per cent of Jordan’s external trade.
Tabbaa also highlighted that Jordan is the third Arab trading partner of the UAE outside the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, following Iraq and Egypt, with a share of 8 per cent of the UAE’s total non-oil foreign trade with Arab countries.
Tabbaa underscored the potential for further advancement in trade and investment relations. He also stressed the importance of collaboration between business communities and the private sector, with a focus on investment in priority sectors such as agriculture and food security.
He also pointed out the potential for investing in the manufacturing sector, which leads in terms of growth within the industrial sector at a rate of 3.33 per cent and contributes the most to the growth of the national economy among various economic activities, at a rate of 23.6 per cent.
He also highlighted the tourism sector, noting that the number of Emirati tourists visiting Jordan in 2023 was approximately 16,660.
Shaikh Khalifa Mohamed Khaled Bin Sultan Al Nehayan, UAE ambassador to Jordan, said that the forum reflects the shared ambition of both countries’ leadership to elevate their existing strategic partnership to new heights.
Representing Emirati businessmen, Abduljalil Al Blooshi hailed the directives of the leadership of both countries. He also emphasised the importance of identifying positive opportunities to enhance the Emirati-Jordanian strategic and investment partnership.