The conference, held at the King Hussein bin Talal Convention Center in the Dead Sea, is sponsored by His Majesty King Abdullah II, and attended by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, while the official preparations and royal and governmental follow-up confirm the bet on the conference as a platform to attract qualitative investments and link Jordanian projects with European capital and financial institutions.
Details of the conference, with the Ministry of Investment and the European Union Mission in Jordan, reveal that the energy and mining sector accounts for the largest share of the announced opportunities, with a value of nearly $7.1 billion (6.2 billion euros) distributed across 10 projects including gas, hydropower, wind energy, green hydrogen, energy storage with batteries, and solar energy, alongside rare earth elements, silica sand, and basalt.
Transport comes with a portfolio of nearly $3.56 billion (3.1 billion euros) for two projects, namely light rail transport and national railways, while 4 projects in logistics services are valued at approximately $1.61 billion (1.4 billion euros), including the Jaber Border Center, the Madaba Logistics Center, the Ma'an Land Port, and the Mafraq Development Zone.
In tourism, Jordan is presenting 3 projects valued at approximately $1.08 billion (940 million euros) including the Umra Leisure City, the Abdali Conference Center, and the Aqaba Youth Camp, in addition to opportunities of about $442 million (385 million euros) in the water sector, and 9 projects valued at approximately $265 million (231 million euros) in industry and the circular economy including manufacturing, electric vehicle assembly, phosphate chemicals, agriculture, and clean technology.
Royal follow-up.. From presenting opportunities to implementing them
The conference comes within a trend that is directly followed by the royal family to enhance investment and link opportunities with executable projects.
HRH Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah II, in the presence of Prime Minister Jafar Hassan, chaired a meeting to follow up on the preparations for the conference, during which he stressed the need to present investment opportunities targeting vital sectors of national priority, accelerating plans to develop the investment environment and business readiness, and integrating efforts between the public and private sectors to overcome obstacles to investment.
It is noteworthy that the directives extended beyond the conference; the Crown Prince stressed that the government and concerned parties should start following up on its recommendations from the first day, using clear indicators to measure the results and their impact on the national economy.
This follow-up gives the conference a dimension that goes beyond organizing an international economic event to trying to turn what is presented during it into projects and investments whose impact can be measured after its conclusion.
The Prime Minister also confirmed that the government wants the conference to conclude in a manner befitting Jordan's reputation and status, while the Investment Council discussed opportunities, projects, investment incentives, and preparations for the conference, alongside updating legislation aimed at enhancing economic policy stability, speeding up licenses and approvals, and improving services provided to investors.
Investment Minister Tariq Abu Ghazaleh said that the conference comes within a government plan to attract qualitative investments and accelerate strategic projects supporting growth and job opportunities, explaining that the opportunities to be presented to investors are studied and fundable, and include partnership models and implementation mechanisms.
Why does the conference represent an opportunity for the Jordanian economy?
The economic importance of the conference lies in the fact that Jordan does not only aim to present projects through it, but also to bring together the parties involved in the investment process on a single platform: Jordanian and European investors and companies, the government, and financial and development institutions, thereby opening the door to linking the project with capital, financing, and technical expertise.
The official program includes direct meetings between companies, between investors and the government, alongside discussions on financing investment opportunities with the participation of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the European Investment Bank, and the International Finance Corporation, in addition to scheduled ceremonies for signing agreements and memoranda of understanding.
The conference also focuses on sectors that directly intersect with the priorities of the Economic Modernization Vision, including energy, infrastructure, information technology, and high-value industries, while sessions are dedicated to financing the vision projects and mechanisms for mobilizing public, private, and international funding.
This composition enhances the possibility of transitioning some opportunities from the presentation stage to negotiating partnerships and financing, although the actual size of the investments that will be realized will only become clear with the signing of agreements and the projects reaching implementation stages.
€3 billion supports the partnership
The conference is being held at a different stage in the economic relations between Jordan and the European Union, after elevating them to the level of a strategic and comprehensive partnership.
Linked to this partnership is a European support program for Jordan worth $3.44 billion (3 billion euros), including $1.15 billion (1 billion euros) in financial aid, about $735 million (640 million euros) in grants, and $1.61 billion (1.4 billion euros) in public and private investments.
Here, it is necessary to distinguish between the two figures; nearly $15 billion (13 billion euros) represents the value of the portfolio of opportunities that Jordan is presenting to investors and is not a commitment to investments that have been made, while $3.44 billion (3 billion euros) represents the support package linked to the strategic and comprehensive partnership between Jordan and the European Union.
Jordan bases its move to attract new investments on models of major strategic projects that it has successfully developed and pushed towards implementation, through partnership with the private sector and mobilizing funding and support from international financial and development institutions, primarily the National Water Carrier project and the Aqaba Digital Center, which are highlighted during the conference as success stories that can be built upon in attracting investments for new projects.
