Cabinet approves decisions related to economic, public sector modernisation roadmaps

AMMAN — The Cabinet, during a session chaired by Prime Minister Jafar Hassan, on Saturday approved a series of decisions related to the Economic Modernisation Vision (EMV), the Public Sector Modernisation Roadmap, and cooperation agreements with other countries.

As part of the EMV, the Cabinet approved the validating reasons for draft amendments to the Cooperation Law for 2024, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.  

The amendments aim to support and empower small- and medium-sized productive enterprises, particularly in the agricultural sector, to create job opportunities.

The proposed amendments include the establishment of a Cooperative Development Fund, a primary driver for cooperative work, to support and finance cooperative projects and provide appropriate guarantees in response to the outcomes of the national strategy. 

It will also facilitate loans and grants to cooperatives, ensuring fair distribution and avoiding project duplication.

The amendments propose the creation of a Cooperative Development Institute to promote cooperative principles, train, and qualify national cadres in cooperative management and operations.

The Council of Ministers also approved the validating reasons for draft amendments to the Agricultural Workers’ Bylaw for 2024, aligning it with the EMV’s objectives to develop the agricultural sector and provide job opportunities for Jordanians.

Amendments to the bylaw aim to include all agricultural sector workers under the social security insurance provisions, ensuring their equal rights to social security, annual and sick leaves, maternity leaves, weekly days off, regulation of working hours, and mechanisms for calculating overtime pay, regardless of the number of employees with a particular agricultural employer.

To support and provide services to productive projects, the Cabinet approved the provision of electricity to the Fish Farming Project (Phase II) in Al Jafer in Maan, launched as part of the Royal initiative for satellite branches in 2008.

In terms of international cooperation, the Cabinet approved a memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and the Indonesian Ministry of Religious Affairs. 

The agreement aims to boost cooperation between the two countries in educational programmes, exchange expertise, research and studies, and boost mutual recognition of educational institutions, exchange of professors, lecturers, and students, and the provision of scholarships.