Littlefield briefs prime minister about OPIC programmes

AMMAN — Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour on Tuesday was briefed on the programmes of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) in Jordan and its support of smal- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).  At a meeting with the corporation’s Chief Executive Officer Elizabeth L. Littlefield, attended by Energy Minister Mohammad Hamed, the premier thanked OPIC for its cooperation with the Kingdom, noting that energy renewable energy, and SMEs top the list of the government’s priority projects, to achieve development and create new jobs. Littlefield said that OPIC helped finance the fourth electricity generating project with $125 million. Ensour highlighted the economic challenges facing the Kingdom and the pressures that have weighed heavily on the economy as a result of hosting large numbers of Syrian refugees, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra. OPIC is the US government’s development finance institution. It mobilises private capital to help solve critical development challenges, according to OPIC’s website. Because OPIC works with the private sector, it helps US businesses gain footholds in emerging markets, catalysing revenues, jobs and growth opportunities both at home and abroad.