‘Over JD300m expected to be allocated by gov’t for Ajloun, Jerash development’

AMMAN — The government is expected to spend JD124 million on the Jerash Governorate development programme between 2016 and 2018, Planning and International Cooperation Minister Imad Fakhoury said Monday.

At a meeting with lawmakers, officials and local community representatives in the governorate, some 48km north of Amman, Fakhoury said the estimated cost of development projects for 2016 is JD39.526 million, while it stands at JD38.911 million for 2017, and JD45.642 million for 2018.

Members of the executive council, mayors, and representatives of civil community institutions and the private, youth and women’s sectors attended the meeting, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The programmes are being implemented under Royal directives, Fakhoury said, adding that Jerash development programme represents a strategic document and tool that includes studying and analysing the current situation of the governorate. 

“The most significant problems facing the governorate are focused on poverty, labour, employment, health, education, and the municipal sector, as well as the Syrian refugee crisis that affected northern governorates, pressuring basic and municipal services,” Fakhoury said.

Funding worth $3.083 million will go to projects in Jerash, which has a population of over 200,300 people according to the Department of Statistics’ (DoS) 2014 estimates, as part of the 2015 Jordan Response Plan, Fakhoury said.

He stressed that this support from the international community will not be enough and that Jordan will keep communicating with donors to ensure that the world shoulder its responsibilities towards the Syrian crisis.

The ministry, he added, has also prepared a map detailing investment opportunities in northern governorates, including Jerash, noting that this will be built on to enhance the governorate’s productivity in tourism, agriculture and agricultural industries.

Ajloun development

Also on Monday, the government team headed by Fakhoury visited Ajloun and discussed its development programmes for the years 2016-2018. 

The government is expected to spend JD178.577 million on the governorate’s development programme between 2016 and 2018, the minister said, according to Petra.

At a meeting with representatives of various sectors from the governorate, some 70km northwest of Amman, Fakhoury said the estimated cost of development projects for 2016 is JD52.207 million, while it stands at JD53.260 million for 2017, and JD73.112 million for 2018.

The most significant problems facing the governorate are centred on poverty, labour and employment, as well as the education health, and municipal sectors, Fakhoury said.

The poverty ratio in Ajloun stood at 25.6 per cent and the unemployment rate stood at 14.2 per cent, in addition to problems with rented schools, according to the minister.

Some $2.793 million in funding will go to projects in Ajloun as part of the 2015 Jordan Response Plan, Fakhoury said.

The governorate’s population is around 153,500, according to 2014 DoS estimates.

The minister said the selection of development projects ready for implementation will be based on the priority list created as part of the 2016-2018 Ajloun Governorate development programme after a previous visit from the Planning and International Cooperation Ministry team.