Jordan sees 2% GDP growth in Q1 — Kanakrieh

AMMAN — The Kingdom’s GDP has witnessed a 2 per cent growth during the first quarter of 2019, compared with 1.9 per cent during the same period of last year, Finance Minister Ezzeddine Kanakrieh said on Saturday.

The minister added that activity within the real-estate sector has also experienced an increase, noting that the selling of land and apartments grew by 17 and 3 per cent respectively in June, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra. 

Kanakrieh attributed the positive economic indicators to a number of procedures taken by the government at various levels and cited the growth in the tourism and export sectors as contributors to the GDP hike.

The minister’s remarks were made during a meeting with a number of Finance Ministry department directors, which was also attended by the ministry's secretary general, Abdul Hakim Shibli. 

Kanakrieh said that that approximately 15,000 government vehicles are currently in use, adding that a designated committee is working towards reconfiguring their distribution in lieu of purchasing new cars, where excess vehicles are given to the departments that need them the most.

The aforementioned committee’s efforts will now also cover governorates, universities and public companies, the minister explained. 

During the meeting, he highlighted that measures by the Income and Sales Tax Department include dispersing JD50 million worth of tax returns and JD140 million worth of financial support to beneficiaries.

Measures are also being taken to merge the General Supplies Department with the Joint Procurement Department into a single unit, which will take the name of the latter as of October, according to Kanakrieh. 

The minister underlined that the General Supplies Department has begun utilising the electronic procurement system, which amplifies transparency and efficiency, in addition to facilitating government purchasing and tender-related procedures.