Al-Srahan: Exceeding Women's Empowerment Targets Reflects Significant Progress.. and the Next Phase Maximizes Economic Returns
Amman4 min read
Share
Financial and economic expert Dr. Muhammad Al-Hadab Al-Srahan confirmed that Jordan's exceeding a number of targets in the project to enhance women's economic opportunities before its closure reflects significant progress in implementing the project and the effectiveness of interventions aimed at expanding economic opportunities for women, pointing out that the next phase represents an opportunity to build on these results and maximize their economic impact.
Srahan said that the number of new businesses owned or led by women reaching 2026, against a final target of 1000 businesses, along with the increase in the number of basic bank accounts, bank accounts, and electronic wallets for women to more than 3.3 million, represents positive indicators of the expansion of women's participation in economic activity and enhancing their access to financial services.
He explained that the next phase could focus on maximizing the economic impact of these results, by monitoring the continuity and growth of projects, the number of jobs they provide, the development of their sales and productivity, and their ability to expand and reach foreign markets, allowing for a more comprehensive measurement of the 'economic return of empowerment'.
He pointed out that the total value of the project is $226 million, while the amounts spent are about $154.6 million, considering that the results achieved so far provide an important basis for evaluating the impact of the resources used, and identifying the interventions most capable of generating employment, investment, and growth opportunities.
Regarding financial inclusion, Srahan explained that exceeding the number of women's financial accounts and wallets by 3.3 million is an advanced step in expanding the base of financial inclusion, while the next phase represents an opportunity to enhance the transition of women from owning accounts to benefiting from financial and credit services to start and expand projects.
He pointed out that the share of women in credit facilities reaching 23.15%, against a target of 25%, indicates that there is room for further expansion in productive financing directed towards women, by developing more suitable financial products for the nature of projects and their needs.
Srahan emphasized that childcare, flexible work, and safe transportation are important elements in supporting women's economic participation, as they are factors that help reduce the cost associated with work and facilitate women's entry into and continuation in the labor market.
He explained that the results achieved in these areas provide an opportunity to build on them in the coming period, especially as a number of indicators approach their final targets before the specified date.
He pointed out that the sustainability of the results after the end of the project in 2028 will be an opportunity to consolidate successful experiences and convert them into sustainable institutional policies and programs, ensuring the continuation of their impact on the economy and the labor market.
He added that Jordan aims to increase women's participation in the labor market to 28% by 2033, considering that the results achieved within the project can contribute to supporting this goal by identifying the interventions most effective in increasing women's economic participation.
Srahan suggested monitoring a set of economic indicators during the next phase, including the continuity and growth of women's projects, the sustainable jobs they provide, the share of women in productive credit, the rate of women's continuity in the labor market, and the volume of private financing and investment that is stimulated.
Srahan concluded by affirming that exceeding the targets ahead of schedule represents a significant achievement worth building upon, emphasizing that the goal during the next phase is to convert these results into sustainable economic growth and enhance women's ability to work, produce, and invest.
He said: 'The real criterion for the success of women's economic empowerment is the amount of value that women can add to the economy when we remove the barriers that prevent them from working, producing, and investing'.
