Aqaba’s 2020 Harbour Expo fuels Jordanian innovation

AMMAN — The European Union in Jordan, through its JADE project conducted in partnership with iPark, on Wednesday opened the two-day Entrepreneurship Harbour Expo 2020, which aims to promote local entrepreneurship by bringing together emerging start-ups and industry experts and potential investors.

Held in Aqaba, the exhibition hosted young innovators showcasing their start-up ideas, with a total of 20 start-ups from food, tech, tourism and other industries, according to an EU statement. 

"We had the opportunity to present our products and solutions in addition to meeting other key players in the industry," said Monther Fadel, founder of a start-up specialised in cleaning solar panels using innovative technologies.

Rania Abu Arisheh, founder of another exhibiting start-up, noted that the expo was an "important opportunity" that allowed entrepreneurs to make new connections, according to the statement. Abu Arisheh added that they ''are looking forward to a promising year ahead”.

The expo hosted several panel discussions covering a diverse array of topics such as private sector engagement, start-up incubation and acceleration and women in entrepreneurship.

The expo brought together different actors within the Jordanian start-up ecosystem to network and build relationships in a mutually beneficial setting with a "continuous stream of innovative ideas", the statement said. 

The Jordanian Action for the Development of Enterprises (JADE) is a three-year project and part of a broader EU programme supporting private sector development in Jordan. JADE supports systemic change within the local entrepreneurship ecosystem by assisting leading incubators and business associations in the country and by providing targeted assistance to SMEs and innovative start-ups, the statement concluded.