USAID project to support micro, small businesses

AMMAN — At its inaugural event in Irbid, the USAID/Jordan Local Enterprise Support Project (LENS) launched 12 new grants in targeted governorates to support the growth of micro and small enterprises (MSEs), a statement said Tuesday.

“The new grants in Irbid will support Jordanian MSEs in promising sectors such as tourism and food processing,” the USAID statement quoted Mona Yacoubian, deputy assistant administrator of the USAID Middle East Bureau as saying.

“USAID remains committed to ensuring that we reach into Jordan’s most vulnerable communities to restore hope for a prosperous future.

 This is the focus of the USAID LENS project,” Yacoubian added.

USAID LENS currently operates in the governorates of Irbid, Zarqa and Amman (outside the Greater Amman Municipality areas) and will expand into two other governorates this year, the statement said.