Category: Affairs

Amman, Minister of Political and Parliamentary Affairs, Wajih Azaiza, on Sunday discussed with Australian Ambassador to Jordan, Bernard Lynch, ways to enhance joint cooperation in multiple fields, especially in empowerment and training areas.

During the meeting, , Azaiza said legislation related to Jordan’s political modernization came under Royal directives and visions, to reach a “democratic” model aimed to increase political and partisan participation, which enhances citizens’ role in the decision-making process, especially women and youth.

For his part, Lynch lauded “deep-rooted” Jordanian-Australian relations, based on common interests, which are reflected in multiple cooperation areas, stressing the importance of continuing joint programs and projects.

Source: JordanNews Agency

Amman, Jordan’s mining industry brought in JD3.11 billion in revenue in 2021, making up 9.12 percent of the country’s GDP and 30.4 percent of total exports, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources announced on Sunday.

The extractive industries generated JD1.94 billion of the total revenue, while the transformative industries generated JD1.16 billion.

“In 2022, the ministry signed seven memorandums of understanding in an effort to put Jordan firmly on the regional and global mining map,” the ministry added, noting that previous statements by the Minister of Energy, Saleh Kharabsheh, described the MoUs as a strategy to restore momentum to the mining sector, which has a high industrial value.

The ministry has additionally unveiled an interactive map to promote regions with promising mineral resources and encourage oil and gas exploration.

Jordan’s mineral resources strategy aims to increase the mining sector’s contribution to GDP to 11 percent by 2025. The sector includes extractive and transformative industries that supply raw materials, intermediate products, and finished goods to local and global markets.

Local mining industries have recently made significant strides on many fronts, most notably in the extraction and manufacture of phosphates, potash, bromine, chemical acids, and fertilizers.

Because they provide the raw materials for many manufacturing industries (such as fertilizers and acids), the extractive industries play a significant role in fostering economic independence and help cut down on the import of manufactured goods. In the long run, this will boost the GDP and contribute to social advancement through the efficient use of labor, the ministry said.

Source: JordanNews Agency

Amman, The power grid reached a load of 3,299 megawatts on Friday night, which is 10 percent above the typical for this time of year, breaking records as a result of the current weather conditions, said Energy and Minerals Regulatory Commission (EMRC) Chairman Ziyad Saaida.

In a statement released on Sunday, he stated that the EMRC had contacted electricity providers to promptly address any outages or complaints, emphasizing power rationalization through the use of low-cost heating methods.

Source: JordanNews Agency

Amman, Prices of 21-karat gold, the highest demand at local market, stood at JD38 per gramme, as purchasing price, against JD36.40 as selling price, an official said Saturday.

Jordan Jewelers Association’s Secretary General, Ribhy Allan, told the Jordan News Agency (Petra) that the price of 24-karat and 18-karat gold amounted to JD44.50 and JD34 respectively.

The price of a Rashadi lira, weighing seven grammes, stood at JD270, while an English lira, which weighs eight grammes reached JD306, Allan said.

Allan said that demand for gold in the local market is still below average.

He added that gold prices in global markets on Friday reached $1867 per ounce.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amman, The Jordan and Bahrain Businessmen Associations met Saturday on the sidelines of the fifth session of the Jordanian-Bahraini Joint Higher Committee to discuss economic and trade ties and explore investment opportunities in the two kingdoms.

Member of the Board of Directors of the Jordanian Businessmen Association, Ayman Al-Alawneh, and President of the Bahraini Businessmen’s Association, Ahmed bin Hindi, discussed proposed ventures to promote trade and investment relations between the two parties, especially in the field of food industry, petrochemicals, information technology and textiles, as well as education, training and medical tourism, noting untapped opportunities in the sectors, according to a statement.

The two sides discussed obstacles to the flow of goods on both sides, including differing technical standards, the high cost of maritime transport, the issuance of visas for truck drivers and the multiple customs clearance procedures at land borders, it said.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amman, The Central Bank of Jordan (CBJ) on Saturday published pictures of the 5th issue of Jordanian banknotes (JD50, JD20 JD10, and JD5).

The banknotes are decorated with pictures of the Hashemite kings as they are in the 4th issue, descriptions and specifications of which were previously announced in the bylaw for issuing Jordanian banknotes for 2022 issued in the Official Gazette on October 2, 2022, in order to introduce the public to the key images and landmarks on these banknotes, which reflect originality, modernity and contemporaneity.

The new issue includes the latest security signs used in the world of the monetary industry, in addition to improving the quality of banknotes and maintaining them in circulation, given that the 4th issue was launched nearly twenty years ago, as well as the need to strengthen the security signs and technical specifications of the banknote and improve the signs of distinguishing the banknotes of cash for the blind and visually impaired.

In this regard, the CBJ said that these banknotes won’t carry the legal status (as a tradable currency) provided that they are introduced alongside the current issue of banknotes (the 4th issue), within dates that will be announced when introducing each banknote by the CBJ, with the exception of the 1JD banknote that was put into circulation on December 26, 2022 along with the 4th issue 1JD banknote.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amman, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Saleh Kharabsheh said Saturday that sufficient fuel supplies, including liquefied gas, need to be available, especially during the winter.

He spoke during a tour of the Amman LPG Filling Gas Station in the neighborhood of Abu Alanda, where he was accompanied by Energy and Minerals Regulatory Commission (EMRC) Chairman of the Board of Commissioners, Ziyad Saaida.

The minister spoke of the importance of updating legislation to deal with any “developments in the oil derivatives sector,” calling for cooperation by all concerned parties to ensure quality service and meet the needs of citizens in various weather conditions.

For his part, Saaida called on energy authorities to ensure the provision of quality service, address public complaints and promptly deal with any interruptions, assuring that the EMRC will ensure that services meet technical standards and regulations, and carry out regular and surprise checks of gas stations across the Kingdom.

The regulatory commission, he said, will ensure energy facilities adhere to licensing regulations and deal with any increases in demand during the current weather conditions.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amman, Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply Youssef Shamali pledged Saturday that the government will address hurdles facing the commercial and service sectors in the Kingdom.

He told a meeting with the president and members of the Jordan Chamber of Commerce that the private sector is a strategic partner of the public sector as it accounts for 70 percent of GDP, adding that the sector rose to the challenge during the Russia-Ukraine war.

The minister pointed out that the road map set out by His Majesty the King to modernize the political system, which resulted in constitutional amendments, the new parties and elections law and the launch of the economic modernization vision, also focused on investment and the unemployment of one million Jordanians in ten years, at the rate of 100,000 annually.

Shamail, who is also labor minister, commended the private sector’s support of the national employment strategy to address unemployment, a large part of which, he said, was due to the failure of disciplines to meet labor market needs. He called for forming sectoral committees to identify problems and propose solutions.

He pointed to a study to legalize and correct the status of foreign workers that allows them to move from one sector to another, which, he said, will be referred to commerce chambers shortly for consultation.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amman, Jordan’s unemployment rate went down by 0.1 per cent in the third quarter of 2022 to 23.1 per cent, compared with the same quarter of 2021, an increase of 0.5 per cent compared with the second quarter of 2022, the Department of Statistics (DoS) showed on Thursday.

The DoS noted that the unemployment rate for males was 20.5 per cent in the third quarter of 2022, compared with 33.1 per cent for females.

According to the figures, the unemployment rate for men dropped by 0.7 per cent while it grew by 2.3 per cent for women, compared with the third quarter of 2021.

In the third quarter of 2022, male unemployment rate decreased by 0.2 per cent, while female unemployment rose by 3.7 per cent compared with the second quarter of 2022.

According to the results, 59.3 per cent of the overall unemployed population holds secondary education degrees or higher, while 40.4 per cent has educational qualifications lower than secondary school.

Unemployment rates differed by educational level and gender, where 29.5 per cent of unemployed males hold a bachelor’s degree or higher compared to 81.8 per cent of unemployed females.

At the governorate level, Mafraq had the highest unemployment rate of 29.2 per cent, while Madaba had the lowest rate of 16.8 per cent.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Zarqa, The total value of certificates of origin issued by Zarqa Chamber of Industry (ZCI) last year amounted to $1.33 billion.

In statements on Wednesday, ZCI head, Fares Hammouda, said exports of the chamber’s members in Zarqa and Mafraq governorates have shifted from concentration on specific sectors to a “more diversified” stage in the exported products and target markets.

He pointed out that North American markets accounted for 48.2% of total exports in 2022, with a value of $641.6 million, of which $610.5 million were exports to United States and $26.4 million to Canada.

Arab markets accounted for 37.2% of total exports last year, with a value of $494 million, of which $146.4 million went to Saudi Arabia, $115 million to Iraq, and $60 million to Palestine.

Last year, the chamber’s exports to non-Arab Asian countries amounted to $76 million, of which $7 million were exports to India, $6.9 million to Singapore, and $5.4 million to Turkey.

Meanwhile, value of the chamber’s exports to European Union countries last year amounted to $51.9 million, of which $25.9 million went to the Netherlands, $12 million to the United Kingdom, and $3.7 to Greece, while value of exports to non-Arab African countries stood at $4.4 million.

Hammouda said exports of leather and textile industries sector maintained the first place last year worth $718.52 million, followed by catering, foodstuff, agricultural and livestock industries at $179.71 million, construction industries at $145.59 million, engineering, electrical and information technology industries at $89.68 million, and plastic and rubber industries at $60.88 million.

The remaining exports concentrated in chemical industries and cosmetics sector at a value of $58.81 million, therapeutic industries and medical supplies at $45 million, packaging, paper and stationery supplies at $31.11 million and wood and furniture industries at $1.47 million.

Source: Jordan News Agency