Mafraq.. Entrepreneurship transforms resources and challenges into opportunities for production and development
Amman4 min read
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A growing picture of entrepreneurship and creativity is evident in Mafraq Governorate through projects and ideas that seek to turn local resources and environmental and economic challenges into productive opportunities, benefiting from the concepts of the circular economy, recycling, and optimal resource utilization, which opens new horizons for creating jobs and boosting economic value within the governorate.
Highlighting this context are pioneering models that reflect the ability of Mafraq's people to develop unconventional ideas and turn them into viable growth projects, including the plastic waste recycling factory project founded by Mahmoud Aliwi. The project aims to convert consumed plastic into value-added final products—such as kitchens, marble alternatives, cabinets, and directional signs—rather than merely producing recycled raw materials.
Aliwi explained that work on establishing the project began about three years ago by renting and equipping the site, purchasing equipment and essential production lines, alongside modifying and technically developing them to suit the nature of the targeted products. He indicated that the project has reached advanced stages of establishment, but financial circumstances have prevented the start of commercial operations, which requires securing the necessary funding to complete operational requirements, working capital, and marketing.
He pointed out that the first phase of the project targets providing about 15 direct job opportunities, in addition to indirect opportunities in areas such as waste collection, sorting, and supply, transportation, industrial services, marketing, and distribution. The project also looks forward in the future to increasing production capacity and expanding into local and regional markets.
In another model of the circular economy, entrepreneur Hashem Abu Kashif presents an experience in utilizing sheep's wool and transforming it from neglected waste into products of economic value, benefiting from the services of the "Irada" program in Mafraq Governorate through advice, consultation, and technical support, which helped develop the project and turn the idea into a productive activity that provides jobs and contributes to empowering the local community.
Additionally, the "Shahd Al-Rhdab" honey production establishment, founded by Dr. Ali Al-Bgoum, represents a model of investment in the environmental characteristics of the Badia through producing types of honey—most notably desert honey, which relies on pastures and wild plants in the eastern regions of Mafraq. The "Irada" program contributed to supporting and developing the project and enabling the establishment to participate in specialized exhibitions and events locally and regionally.
Development and entrepreneurship expert Dr. Al-Nashmi Al-Suhaim believes that these models underline the importance of having civil society institutions concerned with entrepreneurship and creativity, capable of nurturing ideas and connecting their owners with government entities, universities, the private sector, funders, and markets. He stressed that supporting entrepreneurship is no longer an institutional luxury, but has become an investment in people, the economy, and society's ability to produce solutions.
Al-Suhaim points out that supporting these institutions requires an incubating environment that includes sustainable funding, flexible legislation, workspaces and incubation, specialized expertise, practical training programs, and clear channels to reach investors and markets, alongside establishing a database for entrepreneurial ideas and projects to prevent program duplication, enhance coordination, and measure results.
He emphasizes that funding should not be limited to short-term grants, but requires building a diverse ecosystem that includes corporate social responsibility, innovation funds, partnerships with the private sector, competitive financing, and social investment, while adopting clear standards based on applicability, sustainability, and economic and social impact.
He believes that the biggest challenge lies in transitioning from the idea to the product and the market, as the entrepreneur needs specialized accompaniment starting from idea development and business model preparation, through the prototype, registration, intellectual property protection, and marketing, all the way to reaching the investor and expanding.
Al-Suhaim stresses the importance of building a national partnership that brings together civil society institutions, government agencies, universities, the private sector, and investors, while expanding entrepreneurship programs to include governorates and the Badia, and discovering talents and ideas far beyond city centers.
He affirms that supporting civil society institutions themselves must include developing governance, capacity building, financial planning, digital transformation, and impact measurement. He noted that the success of the entrepreneurship ecosystem is not measured by the number of workshops and events, but by the number of ideas that turned into projects, the job opportunities they created, the investments they attracted, and the added value they achieved.
