Jordan, AFD sign 10m euro grant agreement

AMMAN — Jordan has signed a 10-million-euro grant agreement with the French Development Agency (AFD), the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported on Monday. 

Water and Irrigation Minister Hazem Nasser signed the agreement in the presence of AFD Director Serge Snrech and Action Against Hunger (ACF) Country Director Julie Calafat, among other officials.

The funding will be provided by the AFD through the European Credit Fund in response to the Syrian crisis. 

The funding will be used to facilitate water access, distribution of water and sewage treatment in host communities, serving Jordanians and Syrian refugees, in Irbid Governorate, Petra said. 

The project will be implemented by the non-governmental ACF and the Norwegian Refugee Council as a local partner to support the Jordanian plan in response to the Syrian refugee crisis.  

The project includes securing 2,500 water connections in homes that do not have water access, installing water tanks and maintenance of already-installed tanks, and providing internal plumbing work to over 8,000 homes, which will benefit more than one million underprivileged people, Petra reported. 

Nasser noted that the project in Irbid, 80km north of Amman, will be completed in three years. 

Calafat stressed that the collaboration with the Water and Irrigation Ministry and the Yarmouk Water Company is a “priority” for the ACF, in order to ensure that the agreement benefits as many people as possible by improving water and sanitation services, the news agency said. 

For his part, Snrech said that Jordan suffers from a significant shortage of water resources, exacerbated by the Syrian refugee crisis. 

He stressed the importance of helping Jordan, ensuring that the AFD will provide all kinds of support aimed at increasing water supply in Jordan, Petra concluded.