BDC launches Sharaka initiative

AMMAN — Supported by the UK Embassy’s Arab Partnership Fund, the Business Development Centre (BDC) launched this week the Sharaka Discussion Forum "Economic Development: Opportunities and Aspirations of Jordanian Youth and Entrepreneurs.” 

“The forum provides a discussion between the public and private sectors where opportunities and aspirations of youth and entrepreneurs in Jordan are discussed,” BDC said in a press statement. 

It added: “The initiative aims at opening a continuous dialogue and building relations between the public and private sectors to ignite and strengthen the partnership between both sides to face challenges and seize opportunities and thereby accelerate development in the Jordanian economy, based on the continuous cooperation between the two sectors.” 

According to the statement, the discussion forum was attended by Jordanian youth from different governorates as well as owners of small and medium enterprises, who are all beneficiaries of BDC’s programmes.

The BDC-managed Sharaka initiative, under the patronage of British Ambassador Peter Millet, was moderated and administered by Jawad Anani who highlighted three main pillars: SMEs (opportunities and financing), public and private sector partnership and the investment environment and the ways to improve it. 

“There were several interventions and inputs from attendees who are from various public and private sector entities revolving around the opportunities and services provided to SMEs from governmental organisations as well as chambers of industry and commerce in order to enhance competitiveness, increase exports and to better promote Jordan, while also maximising the use of those opportunities and services,” the BDC indicated in the statement.

“The initiative also focused on suggestions from entrepreneurs and youth and interventions from public sector representatives that aimed at highlighting the current available opportunities for youth and future solutions and perspectives of the private sector in order to serve two sectors to serve small and medium enterprises, entrepreneurship and investment projects, as well as their focus and perseverance to continue developing Jordanian governorate hoping to achieve full economic integration,” the statement said.

According to BDC, Sharaka has highlighted important issues affecting the interests of Jordanian entrepreneurs and youth. The initiative focused on the most important expectations and policies adopted by the government to stimulate economic development, which in turn will contribute to the convergence of opinions and views.

Industry and Trade Minister Hatem Halawani said: “The partnership exists between the public and private sectors and we are ready to improve and develop this partnership, and the government is currently working to launch certain laws & regulations specifically to facilitate the work of small and medium enterprises, expected to be launched within two weeks including a clear strategy to support SMEs in all aspects."

The minister also highlighted the new investment law, which will be shortly implemented in order to solve many of the challenges faced by young entrepreneurs, where the government is working to establish a single window for the licence and registration of projects.

Planning and International Cooperation Minister Ibrahim Saif said: “Before thinking about the need for developing small and medium enterprises, we must focus on identifying challenges and the various needs facing governorates, including infrastructure, human cadre and market size in those governorates.” 

He added: “So we must solve these challenges as a first essential step towards sustainable development.” The Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation identified some of the main shortcomings at the provincial level and have included some of these projects within the executive plan 2014 – 2016. 

A decision has been made to set up vocational and professional cities creating the necessary infrastructure and providing funding for business owners and young Jordanian entrepreneurs from different governorates, as well as finding the basis from which to start and expand the project thus creating more job opportunities in governorates.

Iyad Al Qadah, director of sales and income tax, said: “The department is working hard to study the work exemption of up to 50 per cent of investment projects in the southern governorates in order to increase investment opportunities in the various governorates of the Kingdom."

Millett said: “Economic growth in any country comes from the expansion of private sector businesses and an increase in national exports to that country, so the public sector needs to open direct channels of communication with the private sector and facilitate actions that will increase exports.”

He added: “This is what actually happens in Britain, where there are channels of daily contact between the government and private sectors, and there are specialised units in embassies to help entrepreneurs and exporters in facilitating their export procedures to various countries in the world.”

“Similarly we care to support such initiatives and activities that open a constructive dialogue between the sectors and serve young Jordanian entrepreneurs," the ambassador continued.

Nayef Stetieh, BDC chief executive officer, said: "We have launched the Sharaka initiative through direct contact with Jordanian entrepreneurs and youth from different governorates through our entrepreneurial programmes offered to a vast number of groups of people. 

“We recently opened an urgent, necessary and constructive dialogue between the private and public sectors in order to identify essential services available for Jordanian entrepreneurs, and to break the barrier between youth and the government as well as to inform the government of the current situation and needs, whether these needs are market needs or fundamental infrastructure which Jordanian entrepreneurs pursue and aspire thus converging different views,” he added.

The statement concluded that there will be further meetings and forums to be held by the BDC dealing with strengthening the private and public sector partnership as one of the most important outcomes from this initiative. 

A special focus will be on renewable energy in Jordan and its strategies followed by the educational sector and its outputs.