Kingdom-wide tour to encourage funding of business projects

AMMAN — The Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation will next week start a series of field visits across the country to introduce several government portals for project funding and consultancy, a senior official said Wednesday.

The visits, which will cover 51 districts in all governorates, will present civil society organisations, job seekers, fresh graduates, youth and women with funding opportunities for income-generating, self-employment projects, as well as small-and medium-sized projects, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Imad Fakhoury said.

Speaking at the launch event, attended by heads of official institutions that offer financial and technical support for emerging businesses, Fakhoury said the visits, which are expected to extend over three months, are a continuation of previous visits to governorates to follow up on development programmes.

He added that the visits could lead to the creation of a unified office for all funding in each governorate, in cooperation with municipal and governorate councils due to be elected in August.

In addition to financing projects, proposed services will include assistance in evaluating project ideas and developing these ideas into businesses after conducting feasibility studies. 

Stakeholders will also offer consultancy and technical training services, as well as developing a database to keep track of fund recipients in order to avoid duplication.

Information on all training and funding opportunities will be available at the national forus.jo online platform, which was developed and launched by the King Abdullah II Fund for Development (KAFD) last year. 

KAFD will take part in the field visits to raise awareness about the platform among the targeted audience.

Fakhoury noted that the visits are part of the government’s plan to address economic challenges, including poverty and unemployment.

On a different note, the minister said the government is currently working to develop an investment map that covers the entire Kingdom and highlights competitive features of each region.

In addition, the government seeks to establish a national fund for creative entrepreneurial projects that will be officially launched next week.