Zarqa:The Cabinet has approved a series of measures designed to attract investment, enhance exports, regulate the labor market, and improve professional standards.
According to Jordan News Agency, the Cabinet has sanctioned incentives to attract automotive manufacturing and assembly projects to the Zarqa Development Area. These incentives are contingent upon factors such as the investment size, the extent of local manufacturing and assembly, and the employment of Jordanian workers. Full assembly and manufacturing projects, requiring a minimum investment of $50 million and employing at least 50 Jordanians, will benefit from subsidies on electricity and container-handling costs, reduced land and infrastructure costs, tax exemptions, and support for Jordanian employment. Semi-assembly projects, needing at least $20 million in investment and 50 Jordanian workers, will receive a reduced package of incentives.
The Cabinet also allocated funds to initiate infrastructure works at the Agro-Industrial Development Zone in Ghor Al-Mazra'a and Al-Haditha in Karak Governorate, aiming for factories in the zone to commence operations by the year's end.
Additionally, a mechanism for government participation in the Seventh Independent Power Project, a combined-cycle power plant, was approved. The Social Security Investment Fund will hold a 20% stake, while the Samra Electric Power Generating Company will hold 29%, resulting in total Jordanian participation at 49%.
The National Export Strategy 2026-2029 was approved, targeting an annual export growth of 5%. It aims to diversify products and markets, increase the number of exporting companies, and enhance the competitiveness and local value-added of Jordanian exports. The strategy seeks to raise manufacturing exports from JD4.7 billion to JD7.9 billion by 2029, focusing on sectors such as apparel, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, fertilizers, engineering products, food, information technology, and other services.
Moreover, the Cabinet extended until December 1, 2026, a decision to regularize the status of expatriate workers across various sectors, including domestic workers. Eligible workers may obtain a one-year work permit upon payment of applicable fees and JD500 for previous periods, while those who entered Jordan for non-employment purposes are excluded.
The Cabinet approved the Teaching Practice License Regulation for 2026, mandating an official license from the Ministry of Education for teachers appointed from the 2027-2028 academic year onward. Current teachers in public and private institutions are considered licensed under this regulation, which sets unified criteria for licensing and renewal and introduces professional examinations to enhance teachers' qualifications and educational standards.
Separately, the Cabinet appointed Maram Freihat as Deputy Chair of the Board of Commissioners of the Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority, Sami Hasanat as Commissioner for Reserve Management, and Yousef Awadat as a commissioner on the board.