Queen Rania meets with members of the ‘Business and Professional Women Association’ in Amman

AMMAN — Her Majesty Queen Rania met with members of the Business and Professional Women Association (BPWA) on Tuesday, where she received a briefing on the group’s various initiatives to empower women economically and promote their participation in the local economy.

Held at Jasmine House in Jabal Al-Weibdeh, the meeting was attended by BPWA’s Board of Directors, including CEO and Founding Member, Thanaa Khasawneh, who explained that the association provides services and training to Jordanian women in order to harness their underutilised potential and drive wider economic growth, according to statement released by the office of Her Majesty.

The association’s President of Board of Directors, Amal Daghlas, for her part, outlined how BPWA’s initiatives work to enhance women’s roles as both business owners and members of the local workforce.

This includes the WExport Unit, which was launched in 2019 to help women increase their products’ export readiness and equip them with the tools to access global markets.

In addition to WExport, BPWA offers the StandOut project, through which women across Jordan’s governorates receive specialised training in entrepreneurial skills. The association is also the local coordinator of Jordan’s Gender Parity Accelerator, which aims to redefine societal norms, increase women’s economic participation, and open doors to career opportunities in non-traditional fields.

During the visit, Queen Rania joined a number of female professionals and business owners for a specialised export-focused workshop, which illustrated different ways to boost their projects’ global competitiveness. She also heard from the association’s members on their experiences with the training opportunities provided by BPWA and its local partners.

Her Majesty wrapped up her visit to Al-Weibdeh with a stop at Bunni Coffee Roastery and Academy, a beneficiary company of BPWA’s WExport Unit. Co-founders, Shireen Muheisen Iynes and her husband James Iynes, gave the Queen a demonstration of their coffee-making process. They also spoke to Her Majesty about Bunni’s non-profit vocational training programme, which helps young Jordanians build skills in the food and beverage industry.

Founded in 2019, Bunni aims to merge the dynamism of Middle Eastern coffee-drinking with European specialty coffee culture. After beginning with three employees, Bunni has since expanded to a team of 17 individuals, nearly half of whom are women. It aims to begin exporting regionally in 2025.