August 2003 issue

JEF gives Jordan prominence as regional business hub and corridor for Iraq reconstruction 

Under the patronage of His Majesty King Abdullah II, the Jordan Economic Forum will be held on October 12-13, 2003 in Amman. Al-Iktissad Wal-Aamal Group and the government of Jordan, in cooperation with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) organize the Forum.

Jordan Economic Forum will bring together high profile investors, financiers and business leaders from Arab and international countries to discuss business opportunities in Jordan and the country's role in reconstructing Iraq. 

Announcing the event at a press conference, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs and Minister of Administrative Development Mohammad Halaiqa said the conference will highlight Jordan as a gate for international trade and as a country with immense investment opportunities. He said participants will be acquainted with the Kingdom's economic programmes and will examine the role which Jordan can play in the future plans for reconstruction in Iraq.

Investing in Jordan  Jordan Investment Board 10 reasons to invest in Jordan Aqaba Special Economic Zone Jordan – EU Association Agreement US - Jordan Free Trade Agreement Privatisation The Qualifying Industrial Zones (QIZs) Information Technology Cost of Doing Business in Jordan     Jordan Market Profile Main Economic Indicators

The Forum will discuss economic reform, privatization, free trade zones and agreement with the US, and investment opportunities in: power, water, tourism, ICT and other industries. A great deal of the Forum proceedings will be devoted to discuss the reconstruction of Iraq with the participation of international and regional contractors, Iraqi officials and a group of Iraqi businessmen. For more information and registration, please click here http://www.iktissad.com/

American Jordanian Expo – AJEX 2003 

Under the patronage of His Majesty King Abdullah II, The American Chamber of Commerce in Jordan (JABA) will organize the Second American Jordanian Expo – AJEX 2003 conference and exhibition from 22 to 23 October 2003 in Amman, Jordan.  Global leaders and experts will engage in panel discussions covering trade and investment issues in Jordan and US as well as Iraq.  The two-day conference will focus on two way trade for Jordanian, American and international investors as well as investment opportunities between organizations looking to capitalize on Jordan’s exclusive position as the only Arab country to have a Free Trade Agreement with the United States. Furthermore, AJEX 2003 will explore the various economic opportunities presented through the Aqaba Special Economic Zone and the Qualifying Industrial Zones (QIZ’s). Since the implementation of the FTA between Jordan and the US in end of 2001, Jordanian exports to the US market has grown significantly, rising noticeably in the first seven months of 2002 to 70%, and has continued in this momentum.

AJEX 2003 will help emphasize the strong business opportunities and benefits of trade between Jordan and the US, through the FTA, with the participation of high-level speakers from the US, Jordan and the region. The conference will have over 800 delegates from all over the world. Key speakers will include government officials from Jordan, U.S and Iraq. For more information, please log into http://www.ajex.org or E-mail: [email protected] 

Conference on reconstruction in Iraq opens opportunities for private sector 

International and Iraqi businessmen representing companies from Iraq and other countries took part in the Iraqi reconstruction conference that was held in Amman early August. The two-day conference entitled: “Iraq Reconstruction: Opportunities and Challenges,” aimed at identifying emerging business opportunities and offer foreign companies the chance to network and approach Iraqi firms. 

President of the American-Iraqi Chamber of Commerce (AICC) Sam Kubba pointed out that the selection of Jordan as venue for the two-day conference stems from the strategic importance of the Kingdom and its worldwide reputation as a credible and trustworthy country, especially in the field of investment. Kubba stressed that Jordanian companies will enjoy a preferential treatment in reconstruction projects in the war-stricken Iraq. 

Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) representatives highlighted private sector opportunities and answered many questions by investors and company representatives eager to penetrate the Iraqi market. 

SOFEX 2004 to be held in April 2004 

Following the success of SOFEX 2002, the fifth Biennial Defence Exhibition, SOFEX 2004  will be held over the period 26^th-29^th April 2004.  The Exhibition will be conducted at the King Abdullah I Airbase, Amman, under the patronage of His Majesty King Abdullah II. 

SOFEX will be the pre-eminent defence and security exhibition and conference to be held within the Middle East in 2004.  It will focus on special operation forces, their special-to–role equipment, training and delivery methods, including combat support and combat service support systems.  In addition there will be a specialist section dedicated to field medicine.  This world class Exhibition will be supported by a wide range of tactical, live-firing and mobility displays. It will be organized jointly between Jordan and the General Exhibitions Corporation of the United Arab Emirates. 

The Conference, to be held in a central Amman venue, will comprise a series of comprehensive topical seminars, pertinent to special operations and global security in the environment of April 2004.  For more information and registration, please click here http://www.sofex.com.jo/ 

Parsons Brinkerhoff International selected to promote ASEZA 

The Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) has signed a memorandum with Parsons Brinkerhoff International (PBI) to promote ASEZ and its investment climate within its programme to advance the Aqaba Industrial International Estate (AIIE). PBI is the same group which has been recently awarded a 30-year concession to plan, finance, develop, market and operate the (AIIE), owned by the Jordan Industrial Estate Corporation (JIEC) and launched by His Majesty King Abdullah earlier this year. 

Intel partners with int@j, AE-ReSolutions to drive new software initiative in Jordan 

Intel Corporation, together with int@j and AE-ReSolutions concluded the first of a series of seminars designed to spread awareness about Intel's developer services within the regional software development community. The seminar entitled "Introductory session to Intel Software Development Products" is part of an ongoing collaboration between Intel and AE-ReSolutions, where the latter has been trained to provide hands on support to regional developers, enabling them to optimise their software applications to work with Intel's state of the art computing platforms. 

Independent software manufacturers, in addition to corporate developers and representatives of Jordan’s education sector, attended the seminar. "Jordan's position as a regional centre for software development is strengthening quickly," said Ra'ed Bilbessi, CEO of int@j. "Today's event proves yet again the potential that the Jordanian ICT market represents in the eyes of regional and international players. 

FEATURED LINK 

The Jordan River Foundation is a non-profit Jordanian NGO that aims at developing a dynamic Jordanian society by initiating and supporting sustainable social, economic and cultural programs, empowering communities and individuals based on their needs and priorities. 

Established in 1995, the foundation is chaired by Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah, overseen by a board of trustees and managed by a director general. The Jordan River Foundation's ultimate vision is to empower society, especially women and children, and in turn improve the quality of life to secure a better future for all Jordanians.

 for further information about doing business in Jordan, you may contact Mr. Haitham Abu Alfoul at the Embassy, phone +49 30-36 99 6033 fax +49 30-36 99 6011, [email protected]