Day: May 17, 2026

Amman: In a move aimed at improving traffic management and tightening oversight of valet parking operations, the Greater Amman Municipality has launched a fully online system for issuing valet and parking permits through its official website.

According to Jordan News Agency, the new platform is designed to streamline the licensing process for businesses while addressing long-standing issues related to unregulated valet services, sidewalk misuse, and traffic disruption in busy commercial areas across the capital.

Chairman of the municipality’s committee, Yousef Shawarbeh, stated that the initiative forms part of Amman’s broader digital transformation efforts and will help ensure that valet operators comply with legal and safety standards. He added that the system will also strengthen monitoring of unauthorized operators and reduce practices that negatively affect public spaces and traffic flow.

Under the new regulations, valet companies and commercial establishments applying for permits must provide an appr
oved parking location, obtain security clearances and clean criminal records for employees, adopt unified staff uniforms, and secure insurance coverage against potential traffic incidents.

The municipality noted that the service is electronically linked with the Ministry of Interior and the Public Security Directorate to facilitate verification procedures and improve coordination between government agencies. It also confirmed that inspection campaigns will continue across the city, with legal action to be taken against businesses and operators offering valet services without the necessary permits.

Tafileh: The Tafileh Youth Directorate concluded a program on green volunteerism, implemented by the Ministry of Youth in cooperation with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), with broad participation from local youth center members.

According to Jordan News Agency, the program aims to enhance environmental awareness among young people and develop their skills in addressing climate change challenges. Through interactive training sessions, the program covered the causes and impacts of climate change, as well as mitigation strategies rooted in sustainable environmental practices and community-led green initiatives.

Director of the Tafileh Youth Directorate, Hamza Al-Amareen, stated that the program included a series of workshops and training sessions focusing on the concepts of green volunteerism, the importance of positive environmental behaviors, and mechanisms for organizing community initiatives to protect nature. The curriculum also provided practical training in environmental communication and green project planning.

Al-Amareen added that the participants launched several field initiatives, which included tree-planting campaigns across various areas of the governorate to expand green spaces, improve air quality, and entrench a culture of environmental volunteerism among youth.

Trainer Adla Al-Rafou emphasized that the program focused on reinforcing positive environmental habits among the participants while fostering a spirit of cooperation and teamwork through targeted interactive activities designed to serve the local community and support environmental protection.

For their part, the participants affirmed that the training successfully raised their awareness regarding the importance of environmental preservation and strengthened their sense of civic responsibility toward their surroundings while equipping them with new skills in effective communication and volunteer work.

Zarqa: The Culture, Youth, and Sports Committee of the Senate met on Sunday with representatives from various youth associations and grassroots initiatives based in the Zarqa governorate to discuss expanding social volunteerism and national development programs.

According to Jordan News Agency, Haifa Al-Najjar, Chairwoman of the Senate Committee, led the meeting at the Senate headquarters, which reviewed the operational roles of several regional groups, including the “Smile Maker” initiative, the “We Are All Behind the Leader” team, the Ghosoun Association for Culture and Heritage, and the Youth Association for Cultural Development.

Al-Najjar emphasized the necessity of youth empowerment and their active integration into civic initiatives to solidify the values of citizenship. She noted that young people form the structural foundation of Jordan’s development and modernization processes, adding that supporting their entrepreneurial thinking directly yields positive societal outcomes.

The committee chairwoman stated that His Majesty King Abdullah II places a high priority on the youth sector, a focus closely followed by HRH Crown Prince Al-Hussein bin Abdullah II, to foster creative talents and scale up voluntary and cultural initiatives. This ongoing institutional support aims to prepare a generation capable of contributing effectively to national construction, she added.

Al-Najjar stressed the importance of cultivating an environment that stimulates entrepreneurial ideas, allowing young Jordanians to launch qualitative projects that support the educational, cultural, tourism, social, health, and environmental sectors, while empowering them to address contemporary challenges.

Representatives from the “Smile Maker” initiative outlined their organization’s efforts to generate positive community impacts by honoring impactful citizens, launching humanitarian campaigns for disadvantaged families, supporting micro-projects, and assisting persons with disabilities to enhance social solidarity.

Spokespersons for the “We Are All Behind the Leader” team and the Ghosoun Association for Culture and Heritage detailed their respective programs aimed at guiding young men and women toward fields that match their skill sets. Their activities include organizing educational programs for orphans and assisting underprivileged students through rehabilitation and training tracks designed to secure sustainable employment and economic independence.

Meanwhile, leaders of the Youth Association for Cultural Development explained that their organization focuses on discovering and nurturing youth talent, promoting a culture of charity and volunteerism, and encouraging community participation to build an informed generation capable of public service.

Senate committee members concluded the meeting by urging stronger institutional networking and strategic partnerships between official state entities and civil society youth initiatives across all of Jordan’s governorates to institutionalize youth work and achieve long-term sustainability.

The lawmakers underscored the importance of building youth awareness rooted in national identity, the Jordanian historical narrative, and constructive dialogue to strengthen national unity. They also recommended utilizing youth energy to promote historical tourism sites and supporting community service initiatives designed by school students.

Zarqa: The Jordan Industrial Estates Company (JIEC) said it has attracted six new industrial investments to the Zarqa Industrial Estate (ZIE), in a move aimed at strengthening industrial and investment activity in Jordan and underscoring growing confidence in the country’s investment environment and its ability to attract high-value, specialized industries.

According to Jordan News Agency, Petra, Oday Obeidat, JIEC General Manager, stated that the new investments will focus on the chemical and engineering industries. He mentioned that the projects are still in the preparation and development stage, while the company continues negotiations with other investors to sign additional investment agreements in the coming period.

Obeidat highlighted that JIEC has launched extensive promotional campaigns for ZIE at the local and regional levels. These campaigns aim to highlight the promising investment opportunities available there and showcase the incentives and benefits offered to industrial investors. The effort is intended to attract investments capable of stimulating economic growth and enhancing the competitiveness of Jordan’s industrial sector.

The company is working on translating royal directives into practical programs and plans aimed at attracting modern industries with a direct impact on the national economy. This is being achieved by providing a fully integrated investment environment built on advanced infrastructure, a strategic location, and modern logistics services. Obeidat called on investors and business leaders to take advantage of the city’s investment and geographic advantages, noting that ZIE is the largest industrial estate in Jordan and the country’s first environmentally friendly industrial estate.

Obeidat described ZIE as an advanced development model reflecting the royal vision of building a modern and sustainable national industrial base capable of generating jobs and achieving comprehensive development. The estate incorporates renewable energy solutions and Internet of Things (IoT) systems to reduce energy and water costs for investors. It also includes water harvesting projects and natural gas networks to strengthen environmental sustainability and improve industrial operating efficiency.

The first phase of ZIE was developed on 1,386 dunums (about 1.39 million square meters) out of a total planned area of 2,475 dunums, at a cost of JD35 million ($49.4 million). This phase includes fully serviced industrial land and ready-built factory space totaling 21,000 square meters. Preliminary studies indicate that the first phase can accommodate about 217 industrial investments and create around 8,500 jobs.

Obeidat explained that ZIE has been equipped with key investment attractions and expects the number of industrial investments to reach around 530 companies once all phases are completed, generating more than 21,000 jobs. The estate’s strategic location, situated about 30 kilometers from Amman and 15 kilometers from the Zarqa Free Zone, provides an important logistical edge and strong links to local and regional markets and neighboring countries.

Target sectors for investment include electronics, smartphones, tablet devices, laptops, medical equipment, engineering industries, and automobile manufacturing. This aligns with Jordan’s push toward advanced technology industries and export-oriented sectors with high added value.

Amman: The Jordan Phosphate Mines Company (JPMC) has reversed multi-million-dollar losses to achieve unprecedented financial and operational records between 2018 and 2025 following a comprehensive structural overhaul, its chairman said on Sunday.

According to Jordan News Agency, Mohammad Thneibat, Chairman of JPMC, stated during a panel discussion that the state-backed mining firm overcame severe historical administrative and financial crises by modernizing operations, boosting production efficiency, and instilling corporate governance transparency. The panel, titled “A Reading into the Jordanian Mining Landscape: Phosphate as a Model,” was organized by the Jordan Society for Science and Culture and moderated by the society’s president, Samir Habashneh.

Thneibat revealed that the company transitioned from a net loss of approximately JD90 million ($127 million) at the end of 2016 to accumulating total net profits of JD2.647 billion ($3.73 billion) over the eight years spanning 2018 to 2025. The performance marks a 231% increase when compared to the company’s entire historical cumulative profits between its inception in 1954 and 2017, which stood at JD887.8 million.

The chairman added that JPMC completely liquidated its debt to zero by 2022, down from an outstanding liability of JD411 million at the end of 2016. The operational turnaround allowed the company to amass cash liquidity in bank deposits totaling JD1.6 billion by the close of 2025.

According to Thneibat, the strategic roadmap implemented since 2017 focused on eliminating mining monopolies; opening competitive bidding to drive down production costs by roughly 40% annually; deploying integrated automation technologies; and shifting energy consumption from heavy fuel oil to natural gas. The restructuring also prioritized capital expenditure expansion, sustainable equipment maintenance, workforce succession planning, and advanced technical training. The company has drawn up an expansive strategic roadmap stretching to 2040 to anchor its global market shares.

Financial indicators show JPMC sales surged 115% to reach JD1.741 billion in 2025 compared to JD811 million in 2018. Total assets grew 111% to JD2.367 billion by 2025, while total equity rose 195% to JD2.009 billion over the same timeframe. Driven by the robust balance sheet, the company’s market capitalization on the Amman Stock Exchange jumped to JD8.574 billion ($12.09 billion) as of May 10, up from JD234 million in 2018 and JD181 million in 2016.

Total cash dividends distributed to shareholders during the 2018-2025 window stood at JD1.681 billion. Capitalization of reserves via bonus share issues occurred in phases, with a 200% stock dividend in 2022 raising capital to JD247.5 million, followed by a 21.2% issue in 2024 to hit JD300 million, and a 66.7% issue in 2025 to bring total paid-up capital to JD500 million.

Operational volumes recorded similar growth, with raw phosphate extraction increasing 52% to 12.14 million tonnes in 2025 from 8 million tonnes in 2018. Phosphoric acid output rose 51% to 1.36 million tonnes, while phosphate fertilizer volumes climbed 34% to 1 million tonnes by 2025. The institutional recovery pushed JPMC to the 51st position in Forbes’ annual ranking of the Top 100 Companies in the Middle East and North Africa, climbing twenty spots from its previous 71st position.

Looking ahead, Thneibat highlighted an aggressive $1.1 billion pipeline of downstream manufacturing ventures to maximize the value-added potential of local raw minerals and generate domestic employment. The company successfully re-entered several closed markets while securing new international export destinations.

The upcoming capital projects include a $600 million industrial complex in Al-Shidya to manufacture phosphoric acid and specialized fertilizers, developed in joint partnership with the Arab Potash Company. Additionally, JPMC is partnering with Turkiye’s Transbosphore to build the $500 million Jordan-Turkiye Fertilizer Company plant in Aqaba for phosphoric acid production.

Further expansions include a $250 million investment to upgrade the Indo-Jordan Chemicals Company plant, lifting phosphoric acid output capacity to 1,500 tonnes per day from 900 tonnes alongside a new 2,300-tonne daily capacity sulfuric acid unit. The firm is also building a $100 million phosphate warehouse infrastructure in Aqaba to add 150,000 tonnes of storage capacity, alongside a $40 million high-safety double-wall ammonia storage tank facility.

Management projects these industrial ventures will yield an additional $1 billion in annual sales revenue and raise net profits by approximately 200 million dinars upon commissioning while providing 1,000 direct corporate jobs and boosting treasury revenues via corporate income tax and mining royalties.

Abdul Wahab AlRowwad, Chief Executive Officer of JPMC, reaffirmed that the company is actively executing this portfolio of expansions in Aqaba and Eshidiya to consolidate industrial integration across its manufacturing supply chain and deepen regional and international joint ventures. Samir Habashneh, president of the hosting society, commended the JPMC corporate transformation, citing it as an exemplary national success story in corporate governance, fiscal discipline, and strategic asset management for both public and private sector institutions.

Aqaba: The Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) has signed a cooperation agreement with the Youth Development Project, an initiative funded by the U.S. Embassy in Amman, aimed at accelerating the digital economy and expanding youth employment across southern Jordan.

According to Jordan News Agency, the agreement seeks to enhance digital literacy, build institutional capacities, and support entrepreneurial initiatives among young Jordanians. It was signed by Thabet Al-Nabulsi, ASEZA Commissioner for Tourism and Youth Affairs, and Rima Al-Qaisi, Executive Director of the Youth Development Project, alongside representatives from several partner institutions.

Al-Nabulsi stated that the authority is committed to fostering an ecosystem that supports innovation and invests in youth capabilities. This strategy is designed to prepare the local workforce for emerging economic sectors, particularly those tied to technology and digital commerce, while driving socioeconomic development in Aqaba and the wider southern region.

The partnership aims to expand access to high-demand skills required in modern labor markets, aligning local business environments with global digital transformation trends, Al-Nabulsi added.

Al-Qaisi noted that the joint initiative includes launching free training programs in Aqaba and its surrounding areas. Among these is a specialized e-commerce and digital marketing program targeting at least 85 young male and female small business owners and aspiring digital entrepreneurs. The project will also feature educational tracks focused on the responsible use of artificial intelligence applications.

The bilateral partnership forms part of ongoing economic cooperation between Jordan and the United States to invest in next-generation human capital. Officials said the initiative aligns directly with Jordan’s Economic Modernization Vision, specifically its pillars on digital transformation, innovation, entrepreneurship, and sustainable job creation.