Shboul outlines government communication plan on EMV initiatives

AMMAN — The government has developed a comprehensive communication plan regarding various governmental steps towards implementing the Economic Modernisation Vision (EMV), which carries great importance within the national modernisation project envisioned by His Majesty King Abdullah, Minister of Government Communications Faisal Shboul said on Wednesday.

In a statement showcasing the EMV’s early indicators and achievements, Shboul noted that the government is working to implement the EMV’s first executive programme for the 2023-2025 period. 

The programme is being executed in accordance with a clear action plan and a timetable, covering various sectors through JD670 million allocated for funding from the 2023 budget,  Shboul said.

While designing the operational programme, the government embraced the reforms necessary for stimulating growth and investment, which is crucial in reducing unemployment and creating jobs, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Given that the first year of the vision’s implementation will set the tone of the next decade of action on the project, the government is working to develop the tools necessary to ensure that targets are met according to predesignated time frames,  Shboul said.

These tools include preparing the EMV’s Executive Programme for 2023-2025 and ensuring that the 2023 General Budget allocated the JD670 million required for the first year of the project’s implementation. 

The remainder of the programme's total cost of JD2.3 billion will be drawn from future years' budgets, the minister added.

The government has also finished preparing detailed cards on the programme’s 406 priorities. The cards contain a detailed description of the priorities, a timetable for their implementation and indicators of achievement.

The government has managed to make progress in a number of economic indicators, the most important of which is achieving a real growth rate of 2.5 per cent for 2022 compared to 1.9 per cent for 2019, with a targeted growth rate of 2.7 per cent for 2023.

This year's foreign direct investment (FDI) is estimated at JD785 million, compared to JD518 million for 2019, while national exports grew 25 per cent in the first quarter of 2023 compared to 6.8 per cent in the same period of 2019.

In the tourism sector, revenues stood at JD1.2 billion for the first quarter of 2023, compared with JD0.6 billion and JD0.9 billion for the corresponding periods of 2022 and 2019, respectively.

This year's projected budget deficit stands at 2.9 per cent, compared with 3.7 per cent and 6.2 per cent for 2022 and 2019, respectively.

The government seeks growth in domestic revenues of JD9.6 billion for 2023, compared to JD8.9 billion for 2022 and JD7.8 billion for 2019. 

Jordan's credit rating forecasts have been raised from stable to positive in the MOODYs and FITCH rankings, despite the decline in a number of countries in the region and the world, Shboul noted.

He added that the foreign exchange reserves have reached a "comfortable" level of about $17 billion, covering the Kingdom's imports for at least eight months.

Inflationary pressures were contained at a target of 3.8 per cent for 2023, while in 2022 they reached 4.2 per cent compared to 0.8 per cent in 2019.

The minister also noted that net foreign investment increased by 39 per cent in the first quarter of 2023  compared with the first quarter of 2019.

The spokesperson also referred to the success of the government’s online investment platform, noting that 1,971 out of 2,006 applications or investment projects, or 98 per cent of applications, were received via the online platform for the first quarter of 2023. The online applications had an average processing time of nine days. 

The government has embarked on implementing a JD40-million industrial support and development fund for 2023 to support the private sector in reducing production costs, enhancing the competitiveness of national industries and promoting exports.

The government likewise succeeded in generating about 10,000 permanent and temporary jobs through the Grow Jo programme, Shboul said. 

The government also launched 5G services in Aqaba on April 21, and is expected to launch 5G in Amman and the northern governorates on May 25.

Also during the first quarter of the year, 1.5 million visitors were welcomed to Jordan, marking a growth rate of 91 per cent from the first quarter of 2022. Tourism income  grew 88 per cent in the first quarter of 2023 compared with the first quarter of 2022.

The government also managed to reduce water loss by 2.27 per cent in the first quarter of this year.

Another achievement during the same time period involves the development of Hamza field, intended to raise its productive capacity and complete oil searches in the Sarhan and Jafer areas, Shboul said.

Likewise, the government has forested areas in Ajloun, Tafileh and Karak of 3,000 dunums each with a total of 150,000 trees, according to the spokesperson.