2023 Jordan Expo commences, highlighting entrepreneurial ecosystem

AMMAN — During the opening ceremony of the 2023 Jordan Expo on Wednesday, Jordanian entrepreneurs shared their perspective on the Kingdom’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and its surrounding challenges and opportunities.

“Jordan has an enabling and active entrepreneurial ecosystem that welcomes all entrepreneurs,” Minister of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship Ahmad Hanandeh said during the ceremony.

Jordan’s first entrepreneurship fund was started in 1988, and has since given way to over 20 similar funds, he added.

Jordanian entrepreneur and computer scientist Celeina Varouqa, said that she considers the Kingdom’s entrepreneurial ecosystem to be “growth oriented”. Varouqa said that she has witnessed not only an increasing number of Jordanian startups, but consistently offered leadership training programmes and entrepreneurship workshops across the Kingdom.

“Among the barriers to the development of the entrepreneurial environment in Jordan are limited financing and the lack of a widespread knowledge of incubation programmes,” she said.

Samah Darwish, a Jordanian Internet pioneer and marketing expert who has participated in a number of incubation programmes, also spoke during the ceremony. “There are different institutions that give young Jordanians who are at the idea stage free access to startup incubators… this in itself is a great opportunity,” Darwish said.

The Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship Ministry is active and is focused on developing youth’s creative ideas and reducing the barriers they encounter while working on their entrepreneurial projects, Darwish noted.

This year’s expo is focused on business development, database and information technology, trademark processes and finance, according to a statement from organisers.