PM meets with World Bank delegation

AMMAN — Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Bisher Al Khasawneh on Thursday met with a delegation of the World Bank (WB)’s Executive Directors, headed by Dean of the Board of Executive Directors Merza Hasan.

Talks during the meeting focused on Jordan-WB partnerships and means to support the government’s development efforts, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

Khasawneh reviewed the Kingdom’s reform efforts in the political, economic and administrative fields, highlighting the economic challenges facing the country, which have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

He also pointed out that the Russian-Ukrainian crisis has increased the prices of basic commodities and oil, noting that the prices of fuel derivatives have been fixed for a four-month period. He added that by April, fuel prices will reflect the real global price on the domestic market.

The premier also highlighted the Royal vision to make Jordan a regional hub for cooperation and more integration in the food security field.

Talks also covered Jordan’s challenges resulting from hosting Syrian refugees, including pressure on the sectors of health, education and the labour market, amid inadequate international community contributions to the Jordan Response Plan for the Syrian crisis and the government's economic programme, meant to address basic challenges, notably unemployment.

He also referred to the National Economic Workshop, held at the Royal Court, with the participation of ministers, MPs and representatives from the private sector, as it seeks to evaluate the performance of the national economy, identify opportunities to develop economic sectors and enhance their competitiveness, and come up with a roadmap to enhance growth, create opportunities, and improve quality of life and services for Jordanians.

On the new electricity tariff to be enforced as of April, he noted that any savings will be channeled to support the industry, trade and agriculture sectors, among other productive fields.

He expressed the government’s keenness to advance partnerships with the private sector, attracting more investments and enhancing economic growth to provide jobs.

Reiterating the WB’s commitment to support Jordan’s efforts and development priorities, Hasan lauded the Kingdom’s ongoing reforms, expressing readiness to advance cooperation to help Jordan overcome the economic challenges. 

Members of the delegation highlighted the importance of maintaining the international community’s support for Jordan to ensure refugees’ basic needs.