Amman, Oct. 1 (Petra) -- Export House launched the "From Local to Global" program to help Jordanian small and medium-sized industrial and service companies that have never exported prepare to enter regional and global markets.
The company launched the program in partnership with the Jordan Enterprise Development Corporation (JEDCO) and under the supervision of the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply.
The program aims to expand the base of Jordanian companies able to export. It will build their readiness and improve their knowledge of target markets and requirements, so they can take informed steps to start exporting and reach new markets.
The program will provide technical and financial support to 100 small and medium-sized companies across the Kingdom's governorates. Eligible companies must be officially registered, privately owned and members of a Jordanian chamber of industry or commerce.
Yarub Qudah, minister of industry, trade and supply, sponsored the launch ceremony. He said Jordan recognized over the past two decades the importance of diversifying products and export markets. He added this avoids reliance on a single market and strengthens the national economy's ability to withstand regional and international changes.
Qudah said Jordan has achieved a success story in diversifying its exports and markets in recent years. He said strengthening export capacity is a key pillar of a solid, robust and diversified economic base. The limited size of the domestic market makes expanding abroad and increasing exports necessary for economic growth, he added.
He said the government focuses on investing in the private sector and building its productive and competitive capacities. The next phase requires integration that starts with building companies' capacities and studying global market needs, then promoting national products and services, and finally exporting, under the "Local to Global" program.
He noted that the Industry Support Fund spent about JD80 million over the past two and a half years and received German funding of €35 million. Work is under way on an agreement with the World Bank for new financing of $80 million, he said.
Qudah stressed that these efforts are part of an integrated program to support the industrial sector, boost its competitiveness and its ability to reach foreign markets. He said they will help increase exports and build a more competitive private sector.
Export House Chairman Maher Matalka said developing Jordanian exports is a shared and integrated responsibility. He said it requires work with the ministry, JEDCO, chambers of industry and commerce, supporting and donor bodies, and public and private sector partners.
Matalka said this approach is the basis for sustainable impact and for achieving the Economic Modernization Vision and the National Export Strategy. He said the strategy gave attention to the services sector for the first time.
It also focuses on providing technical and financial support to small and medium-sized industrial and service companies, especially first-time exporters, he added.
He described the program as a practical step to support Jordanian companies, build their capacities and strengthen their export readiness for regional and global markets.
Matalka urged companies that meet the program's criteria to register and benefit from it. He said this is in line with the program's message of helping companies move from knowing the market to entering it, and from an export opportunity to export growth.
//Petra// NQ
