King tours Aqaba-hosted industrial ventures

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Thursday stressed the importance of having at hand a clear strategy to attract more investments to the Aqaba Special Economic Zone (ASEZ) and to strengthen its position as a gateway for the global markets, according to a Royal Court statement.

During his meeting with the president and members of the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority’s (ASEZA) Board of Commissioners, in the presence of Prime Minister Hani Mulki, His Majesty stressed the necessity of enhancing the investment environment to create new job opportunities for Jordanians.

ASEZ will remain the focus of attention, despite the difficult challenges facing Jordan, The King said, stressing the need to build on the achievements made so far and employing the advantages of Aqaba in attracting valuable investments to the industrial and commercial sectors.

His Majesty stressed the need to follow up on the implementation of the new strategy for Aqaba according to the plan to stimulate economic growth (2018-2022), underlining the need to increase the competitiveness of the business environment in the sea resort and Jordan’s sole port city, 360km south of Amman.

In this regard, King Abdullah stressed that the strategy should reflect positively on the people of the area, in a way that helps improve their living conditions and achieve sustainable development through job generation.

His Majesty also stressed the importance of accelerating the implementation of development projects in the pipeline, including new industrial estates and the completion of the new port of Aqaba.

King Abdullah pointed out that marketing Aqaba by placing it on the global tourism map is vital, as well as organising regular flights between Aqaba and international destinations.

He stressed that partnership and continuous communication with investors and the local community is a cornerstone for the success of efforts to develop the region and implement future projects to serve the people of Aqaba.

During the meeting, the King was briefed by ASEZA Chief Commissioner Nasser Shraideh, on the future plan of the authority, which seeks to attract more investments and render Aqaba an international tourist destination and a model for sustainable development.

According to the authority’s strategy for 2025, the value of investments in the Aqaba Special Economic Zone is expected to increase, in addition to the number of tourists, and the number of hotel rooms.

The strategy also aims to increase the number of logistic facilities in Aqaba to transform the town into a hub of logistics serving the region, as well as increasing the volume of cargo handled at Aqaba port and creating more job opportunities.

The meeting was attended by Royal Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh and the King’s Office Director Jafar Hassan. 

In remarks to the press, AZEZA chief said work was under way in strategic projects related to the development of the Aqaba port, including the linkage between the main port, the container terminal and Maan Land Port, around 100km to the north. 

Another major plan, he reasserted, is to transform Aqaba into a major logistics hub that serves trade, and to enhance its image as part of the tourism “Golden Triangle”, which includes Wadi Rum and Petra, the two major tourist destination in the Kingdom. 

During His Majesty’s tour of the Aqaba International Industrial Estate, built over 1.7 million square metres, he was briefed by its CEO, Sheldon Fink, on the investments lured into the estate. The King visited some of these companies, including the $40 million Orbit for Aluminum, among others. 

In remarks to the press, Fink said that the industrial facility is expected, through the investments it hosts, to create 5,000 jobs in total.