jordan pulse -
This year, the government is embarking on implementing a system of reforms that support its vision of economic modernization, in pursuit of future plans, most notably providing one million jobs in 10 years, establishing a new city, and desalinating the Red Sea water to raise the citizen's share of water.
On June 6, 2022, His Majesty King Abdullah II sponsored the launch of the vision of economic modernization, to be implemented through 3 stages over a period of ten years, as it includes 366 initiatives in various sectors.
The importance of the vision comes to absorb the challenge of providing a million new job opportunities for Jordanians within a decade. 100,000 opportunities annually, by identifying the drivers of employment and economic growth, as achieving them requires bringing in investments and financing of about 41 billion dinars.
In 2023, the government needs 670 million dinars to implement this vision. The source of this amount included 355 million dinars from the budget of ministries and government departments, 150 million dinars from the budget of government units and self-financing, in addition to 165 million dinars from foreign aid.
First: The investment engine, for which 56 million dinars have been allocated for the next year, for initiatives that include launching an electronic platform for the investor, developing an investment map, and providing advisory services to market investment opportunities.
Second: The engine of high-value industries, for which 91 million dinars were allocated next year, for several initiatives:
Industry sector initiatives: industry support fund, completion of the national employment program, preparation and implementation of the national export strategy.
Agriculture and Food Security Sector Initiatives: Establishing a comprehensive national database for food security, providing support for the development and exploitation of agricultural lands, and stimulating the agricultural sector and food processing.
Mining Sector Initiatives: Preparing and implementing a national mining strategy, and reviewing the Natural Resources Law.
Initiatives of the logistics and transportation sector: Creating a national strategy for the transport sector for the years (2023-2027), preparing advisory studies for the Toll Roads project that imposes tolls on major roads, developing and modernizing border posts, rehabilitating the infrastructure of Amman Civil Airport for licensing purposes, and modernizing the Scuda system (the customs).
Third: The future services engine, for which 52 million dirhams were allocated next year, to implement initiatives:
Initiatives of the creative industries sector: Supporting creative initiatives, supporting the film industry, supporting the electronic games industry, simplifying its procedures, and institutionalizing work in it.
Trade sector initiatives: creating a price database and starting implementation, supporting e-commerce, amending and approving the e-commerce law.
Healthcare sector initiatives: Establishing a health policy council, preparing a national strategy for the health sector, developing a baseline for Jordan's health map, establishing a health simulation center, and developing and automating a drug inventory management system.
Financial services sector initiatives: launching the financial inclusion strategy and action plan (2023-2027), reducing financing costs for medium and small finance companies, and amending legislation governing banking and the Amman Financial Market.
Fourth: Jordan Engine is a global destination, for which 80 million dinars have been allocated for the next year for initiatives that include: continuing to support charter and low-cost airlines, developing products and services related to Jordan's tourism track, and restoring and rehabilitating archaeological and heritage facilities and buildings.
Fifth: The engine of leadership and creativity, for which 138 million dinars were allocated during the year 2023, to implement several initiatives:
The education sector: improving the performance of students in international examinations, training and capacity building for teachers, expanding kindergartens, implementing and implementing a comprehensive program to compensate for educational losses, expanding vocational education in schools, developing and updating curricula for all stages, preparing and implementing a comprehensive strategy for blended education for all age groups .
Vocational Education and Training Sector: Developing vocational and technical education curricula, creating vocational specializations related to future professions, and introducing digital skills curricula for government school students from seventh to twelfth grade in vocational education.
Sixth: The Sustainable Resources Engine, for which 202 million dinars have been allocated for the next year, to implement several initiatives:
energy sector; Implementing a financial sustainability plan for the electricity sector, launching a roadmap for the use and production of hydrogen, installing solar cell systems for municipalities, reviewing the pricing mechanism for petroleum derivatives to move to price ceilings, supplying industrial cities with natural gas, studying options for storing renewable electric energy, and implementing regional electrical interconnection projects.
Water sector: Implementation of the financial sustainability plan for the water sector, water loss reduction project, and the national carrier project (water desalination).
Seventh: A sustainable environment engine, for which 33 million dinars were allocated next year, for initiatives that included: waste recycling, development of qualitative agricultural projects around wastewater treatment plants, increasing the number of waste management facilities linked to the national monitoring and information system, expansion of the al-Akidir landfill site And the conversion ritual station for solid waste, and the launch and implementation of the intensive green employment program in the development sectors.
Eighth: the quality of life engine, for which 18 million dinars were allocated in 2023, for initiatives including rapid-frequency buses (Irbid-Zarqa, Jerash-Amman), implementing the rapid bus in its second phase in Amman, starting the master plan for the new city, and supporting the infrastructure of central markets. (Irbid and Amman), and developing an integrated plan for the smart transportation system in Jordan.
A master plan for a new city
The project of establishing a new city aims to accommodate the steady population increase, especially in the capital Amman and the city of Zarqa, where it will be built - if a decision is taken regarding it - within the borders of the Greater Amman Municipality, and on land wholly owned by the state treasury, and its location is about 40 kilometers from the center of the capital. Amman, 33 km from Queen Alia International Airport, and 26 km from Zarqa City.
The site of the new city project is part of the Jordanian Badia lands, and it is located on two international roads linking Jordan with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Iraq, and its estimated total area after its completion is approximately 277 thousand dunums.
The new city project was proposed for the first time in 2017, but circumstances that led to the postponement of its progress were interrupted, including the Corona pandemic and its consequences.
According to the presented study, the new city project will be established in several phases, the first phase of which begins in 2025 and ends in 2033, while the last phase of it ends in 2050, while the first phase aims to establish a modern smart city, which relies on a high percentage on clean energy, and accommodates approximately 157 people. thousand people, while it is estimated that it will accommodate one million people when all its stages are completed.
The first phase of the project includes residential buildings and public squares, in addition to transferring ministries and public institutions to them, except for political institutions such as the prime minister, parliament, and the judicial council.
The project also aims to establish a modern and environmentally friendly city, with economic and social dimensions of investment and development, and aims to relieve pressure on services, transportation and infrastructure in the capital Amman and the city of Zarqa mainly, and the cost of its construction in all its stages amounts to more than eight billion dinars, and the government will contribute In the establishment of infrastructure and basic services in it.