Jordan Economic Development Program (LED)

Abstract

No country can prosper if economic development is centralized only in its capital city. For this reason, the Jordan Economic Development Program has made a conscious effort to reach out to Jordan’s Governorates in order to ensure that all Jordanians have the opportunity to live prosperous lives. Challenges of Jordan economy are: narrowly-based, centered on a few industries and groups around Amman, the country is far from realizing its potential in labor intensive manufacturing and services sectors, current job creation rates are insufficient to absorb the growing number of entrants to the workforce, most of created jobs are of low/ moderate economic impact, and the participation of women in the economy remains limited. The proposed is solution is: to implement activities in the regions outside the capital Amman, to help develop technology entrepreneurship culture at universities and support the establishment a number of start ups out of these universities. Establish an entrepreneurship center in partnership with the private sector, to the bridge gap of the growing need to create more Jobs for the increasing number of university graduates, and the inability of both private and public sectors to accommodate that, creating jobs by new companies and start ups can help to reduce unemployment and contribute to the national economy. This center will qualify the entrepreneurs and facilitate the professional market entry of their products and services.