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AMMAN — Jordan will renegotiate a deal with British Gas Group to import natural gas from Gaza Strip after Shell acquired the company, according to a government official.

“Following Shell›s acquisition of British Gas Group, we plan to have meetings with Shell to revive the agreement,” secretary general of the Energy and Minerals Regulatory Commission (EMRC),

Farouq Hiari, told The Jordan Times.

“This agreement is very important to us, a priority. Therefore, we want to discuss with Shell how we can revive it,” the official added.

“We need to figure out whether this agreement is a priority or not for Shell at this stage”, he said.

In 2014, Jordan announced that it would import about one-third of its needs of natural gas from Gaza Strips’ offshore gas fields at the end of 2017.

Jordan signed a letter of intent with British Gas Group, which has concession rights to explore offshore gas in Gaza Strip.

Under the deal, Jordan was expected to import 150-180 million cubic feet per day of natural gas from fields the company is developing off the coast of the enclave.

British Gas Group and its partner, the Athens-based Consolidated Contractors International Company, owned by Lebanon’s Sabbagh and Khoury families, were granted oil and gas exploration rights in a 25-year agreement signed in November 1999 with the Palestinian Authority.

Jordan imports about 96 per cent of its annual energy needs and is implementing a strategy to diversify its sources, with more reliance on natural gas and renewable energy to generate electricity. 

AMMAN — The Kingdom’s gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to improve to 3 per cent in 2016, up from 2.4 per cent in 2015, which witnessed the slowest pace in four years, said the World Bank (WB) on Wednesday.

The World Bank’s “MENA Economic Report, Spring 2016 issue titled: Reconstruction for Peace in Syria” issued late on Tuesday said GDP growth moderated during 2015 to an estimated 2.4 per cent, the slowest pace in four years, magnifying already-high unemployment. 

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) put the GDP growth last year at 2.5 per cent.

“Security spillovers from regional conflict worsened, negatively impacting tourism, construction, investment and trade,” the WB report said, adding, however, that growth in a number of sectors held up

well through the third quarter of 2015, including in finance and insurance services, transport, storage and communications, electricity and water, and mining and quarrying. 

According to the report, unemployment rose to 13 per cent in 2015, an increase of 1.1 percentage points relative to 2014. 

Monetary policy remained expansionary with the Central Bank of Jordan (CBJ) reducing the key policy lending rate by 125 basis points during the course of 2015, the report noted, adding that the international reserves at CBJ slightly rose to $14.2 billion (which is enough to cover 7.5 months of imports) by end-2015.

Meanwhile, the growth is expected to improve to 3 per cent in 2016, assuming no further worsening in the regional security situation and associated spillovers. 

“This is driven by an expansion in mining and quarrying sector and positive base effect of tourism and construction sectors,” the report said, adding that Jordan is working towards an Extended Fund Facility (EFF) with the IMF.

The EFF is anticipated to support further fiscal consolidation efforts in parallel with growth-enhancing and job-creating structural reforms.

In a statement sent to The Jordan Times, the WB said the report provides an economic outlook for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), predicting that regional GDP growth will average 3 per cent in 2016. 

It explained that due to a combination of civil wars and refugee inflows, terrorist attacks, cheap oil and a subdued global economic recovery, prospects for faster growth are slim. 

“Civil wars have severely harmed the economies of Syria, Libya, Yemen and Iraq, and have had spillover effects on the economies of Lebanon and Jordan,” the statement said.

It added that MENA’s oil-importing countries will see their growth slowdown, despite low oil prices, because of persistent security concerns and slow activity in tourism and remittance inflows. Growth in oil exporting countries, including the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries, will be affected by persistently low oil prices.

Commenting on this report, World Bank Chief Economist of the MENA Region Shanta Devarajan said: “While the short-term outlook remains ‘cautiously pessimistic’, there is an opportunity to start addressing the main source of the slowdown—the civil war in Syria—by an inclusive reconstruction strategy.”

AMMAN — Islamists and their independent allies lost the presidency and vice presidency of the Jordan Teachers Association (JTA) in its third session after its establishment in 2011, poll results showed on Wednesday.  

Later in the evening, it was announced that the Professional Current for Reform won 11 of the other 13 seats of the council, while two swats went to Islamists. 

The “Professional Current for Reform” bloc’s candidate Basil Freihat won elections as the syndicate’s president after garnering 159 votes, according to Sami Salaitah, head of the higher committee of the JTA central elections.

Freihat's opponent, Qasim Masri, from the Islamist-dominated “Teacher Bloc” earned 147 votes in the race, Salaitah noted, as quoted by the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

Salaitah also announced that the Professional Current's Ibrahim Shabanah was elected JTA vice president after receiving 163 votes, compared to 149 votes earned by his contestant, Ibrahim Hamid.

The higher committee closed the voting 30 minutes before the scheduled time (3pm), because the turnout reached 100 per cent after the 316 teachers from the JTA's central body, whose members were elected in all JTA branches two weeks ago, cast their ballot. 

Teachers cast their ballot papers in three boxes, one was allocated for electing the president, the second for vice president and the third for JTA council members, Petra reported.

AMMAN — Rainfall during this time of the year is good news for farmers of wheat and barley, an official at the Agriculture Ministry said on Wednesday, expecting an abundant yield of grain this year.

As official figures indicate that 118 per cent of the country’s long-term annual average of rainfall of 8 billion cubic metres has been achieved, the ministry’s spokesperson, Nimer Haddadin, said that increased soil humidity will result in higher cereal production this season.

“Wheat and barley are highly dependent on rainfall, and this year’s rain has been sufficient. However, rain during this time of the month is particularly good for wheat, which is about to sprout,” Haddadin told The Jordan Times.

Farmers grow wheat across the Kingdom, but the grain is mainly cultivated in Irbid and the Houran plains in the north; Madaba and Husban in the central region; and Arrabeh in the southern Karak Governorate.

The country produced between 20,000 and 25,000 tonnes of wheat in 2015 due to “excellent rainfall that year”, according to the ministry, which indicated that wheat production in 2014 stood at 12,000 tonnes.

The Kingdom, which consumes 80,000 tonnes of wheat per month, imports over 96 per cent of its wheat needs, as domestic production covers only around 4 per cent of demand.

Haddadin highlighted the positive impact of this week’s rain on the agricultural sector, citing an old saying amongst farmers that rain in April revives crops.

“The recent rain will prolong spring, increase green spaces across the country and boost natural pastures,” he noted.

By Wednesday morning, the country’s 10 major dams held 200 million cubic metres (mcm) of water or 61.46 of their total capacity of 325mcm, Water Minister Hazem Nasser said in a statement e-mailed to The Jordan Times, noting that during this time last year, the dams held 213mcm.

Jordan received 288.1mcm of rain between Tuesday and Wednesday morning, according to the Water Ministry, which said that Balqa Governorate received the highest rain amounts, while Aqaba in the south received the lowest.

The recent rain was brought by a relatively cold air mass that started affecting the Kingdom on Tuesday, bringing below-average temperatures and heavy rain in different parts of the country.

The Jordan Meteorological Department (JMD) said the impact of the relatively cold air mass is forecast to subside by Thursday night, with temperatures rising back to their annual average temperatures on Friday.

The relatively cold air mass caused temperatures to drop by 5ºC to 6ºC below their annual average of 21ºC for this time of the year, a JMD meteorologist told The Jordan Times, adding that a slight rise in temperatures is expected on Thursday, but the weather will remain relatively cold and cloudy.

Chances of scattered showers are forecast for Thursday in the northern and central regions, according to the department’s website, which said that temperatures will be 19ºC during the day, dropping to 9ºC at night in Amman and winds will be northwesterly moderate.

Spring weather is expected for Friday, when temperatures will be 23ºC during the day and 11ºC at night in Amman, according to the JMD, which expected the weather to further warm up on Saturday, with temperatures ranging between a high of 26ºC and a low of 12ºC in the capital.

AMMAN — Around 12 participants took part on Wednesday in the 19th annual Japanese Language Speech Contest, which was organised to “bring the two countries closer” and strengthen cultural relations. 

The event, organised by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), in cooperation with the Japanese embassy in Amman and the University of Jordan (UJ), aimed at sharing similar aspects of Jordanian and Japanese cultures, according to organisers.

Held at the UJ's Language Centre, the ceremony gave Jordanians interested in the Japanese language the opportunity to show their skills and present ideas. 

Shuichi Sakurai, the Japanese ambassador to Jordan, voiced hope that students' learning the language would lead to mutual cooperation between both countries.

“The Japanese language is very difficult to learn, especially for foreigners. It is very useful to know Japanese… I am very happy to hear that many young Jordanian men and women are studying Japanese,” he told The Jordan Times.

Sakurai added that learning Japanese widens one’s understanding of the culture, history and traditions of the country.

JICA Senior Representative Wakui Junji said that since 1993, JICA has engaged more than 20 volunteers in initiatives to support students who wish to learn the Japanese language.

UJ interim President Azmi Mahafza said the “fruit” of the mutual cooperation between Jordan and Japan is the Japanese language education programme that is being taught at the university.

Participant Reem Elkhalik, who is a teacher assistant at the American University of Madaba’s faculty of architecture and design, said her interest in Japanese culture started when she was in school.

“I have always viewed Japanese culture from more than one perspective. When I started studying architecture, it enriched my perception of that culture, I focused more on the architectural style of buildings,” she told The Jordan Times on the sidelines of the event.

Elkhalik added: “Language brings nations closer. It opens more horizons, every time we learn something new we gain a different perspective.”

Kawthar Zou’bi, another contestant who is currently working at the Ministry of Justice, said one can only get more familiar with a culture through learning the origin of its language.

Through her 18-month course of learning the Japanese language, Zou’bi said she became “more open to new ideas and cultures” and started accepting people of different cultures.

A jury evaluated the presentations of participants, consisting of the president of the Japanese Society in Jordan, Ota Ichiro; programme officer at the UNDP, Manome Minako; and several JICA members.

The winner of the best Japanese speech was Yemeni contestant Maha Mayoub, and the best presentation award was given to Leen Kilani.

AMMAN — Public partnership councils with the private and civil society sectors are useless if not activated properly to have the results of their work reflected in policy making, a Public Sector Development Ministry statement quoted Minister Khleef Al Khawaldeh as saying Wednesday.

Establishing these councils should not constitute an end in itself but should be a means to obtain opinions and ideas that enhance public policies to make them more harmonious with the visions of the benefiting parties, such as the private sector, civil society organisations, unions and professional associations, Khawaldeh said.

He added that establishing such councils requires time and money; therefore, their contributions must surpass the expenses of forming them. 

Khawaldeh said Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour issued a framework document to activate these partnership councils in all ministries and government departments. 

The framework was prepared by the Public Sector Development Ministry and includes a set of regulations and practices to activate the concept of partnership and form councils with the parties concerned with the work of the targeted sector, ministry or department. 

Moreover, the framework details the goals to be achieved from the partnership, in addition to the tasks, privileges, and number of members for each council. 

Khawaldeh said the goal of the partnership is to implement joint projects between the public sector and other partners.

AMMAN — The Kingdom’s Synchrotron-light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East (SESAME) centre will be connected to the European Network for Research and Education in London with the goal of sharing global research and resources under an agreement signed Wednesday.

The deal aims at providing international connectivity, which serves as an opportunity for regional research and educational institutions to benefit from specialised networks without the use of traditional commercial Internet networks.

“Specialised connectivity for research and education networks in Jordan strongly supports national researchers, and facilitates the process of sending data to and from international research centres,” Khaled Toukan, director general of SESAME, said at a meeting Wednesday to sign the deal with Orange Jordan.

“Providing research centres such as SESAME, which will be launched in 2017, with integrated technical communication services is an important step, as it enables researchers to more efficiently share the data that they obtain from their research,” the former energy minister added.

Talal Abu Ghazaleh, chairman of the Arab States Research and Education (ASREN), highlighted the importance of such connectivity at the local and global levels in the fields of research and learning, as it enables continuous communication between researchers in the Middle East and the rest of the world.

“This agreement comes as part of the European Union’s support of the link between Euro-Mediterranean and African projects, in which the organisation works on providing specialised communication for academic research and learning between Arab countries, and European and international networks,” he said.

Jérôme Hénique, CEO of Orange Jordan, said the deal which seeks to contribute to the development of and transformation to a knowledge-based economy and sharing expertise.

AMMAN — Academics and industrialists are encouraged to enhance partnerships, particularly in the pharmaceutical field, to build on achievements and capitalise on mutual benefits, stakeholders agreed on Wednesday.

The two parties should take the initiative to enhance cooperation and find a middle ground for possibly conflicting interests, panellists at a conference that looked into building successful partnerships between the academia and industry, with a focus on the pharmaceutical sector, said.

Organised by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Liberty and the Jordanian Club of Humboldt Fellows, and attended by HRH Princess Sumaya, the conference looked into challenges facing partnerships and means of bridging gaps.

Princess Sumaya, president of the Royal Scientific Society and chairperson of the board of trustees of the Princess Sumaya University for Technology (PSUT), said bridging the gap between industry and academia is "vital" to the future prosperity of the pharmaceutical sector and the wider economy. 

This collaboration, she said, must begin at the level of universities and schools, in a manner that focuses more on nurturing research skills among students and faculty members.

The challenge is creating a research-based learning system that feeds into the job market, fulfilling employment needs and encouraging innovation, the princess added, citing the experience of PSUT as an example.

She noted that the current connection between research and development in Jordan is "not very strong".

Academics and industrialists should reconcile their differences in mindsets and goals, the princess added, explaining that academics usually publish research for promotion purposes, while industrialists are more business-oriented.

Trade Minister Maha Ali highlighted the role of the partnership between academia and industry in increasing Jordan's pharmaceutical exports, which form 11 per cent of Jordan's total exports, citing some 150 local pharmaceutical companies exporting to 60 countries.

She added that the ministry is currently finalising its plan for the upcoming three years and is willing to take into consideration suggestions of academics and industrialists on how cooperation can be enhanced.

She added that the ministry is working on setting a strategy for its fund for supporting industrial research and development.

For his part, Salah Mawajdeh, corporate vice president at HIKMA Pharmaceuticals, said academics tend to conduct research at a very early stage that industrialists find "unfeasible".

Furthermore, he said researchers tend to focus their efforts on "good-to-know" basic research, which requires large investments for a long term, while the industry sector needs applied research with a problem-solving orientation that helps enhance the creativity of products.

The academia and the industry sectors will have a bigger impact if they do not work in isolation, said Azmi Mahafzah, interim president of the University of Jordan.

He highlighted the role of student internship programmes at industrial firms and factories to help them acquire a business-oriented perspective, and he encouraged developing a programme for faculty members to spend their sabbatical leaves at business institutions.

Ralf Schoer, deputy head of mission at the German embassy in Amman, highlighted the interrelatedness between university education and businesses in Germany through apprenticeship and research programmes.

He cited over 800 German and foreign pharmaceutical firms in his country in several sizes, hiring some 110,000 employees, one third of whom are university graduates.

He added that Germany is the third country with pharmaceutical patents after the United States and Japan, with some 12,000 patents.

AMMAN – Border Guards received 301 Syrian refugees over the previous 24 hours and transferred them to shelters and camps, the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army said on Wednesday.

Royal Medical Service personnel treated the injured, according to a statement by the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

AMMAN – Deputising for His Majesty King Abdullah, Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour is scheduled to participate in the 13th session of the Islamic Summit Conference held in Istanbul.

The conference starts on Thursday, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. Ensour left for Turkey on Wednesday.