Gov't, USAID to help exporters tap African markets

AMMAN — Jordanian exports to African markets constitute only 2.2 per cent of the overall exports, Industry, Trade and Supply Minister Maha Ali said Monday. 

Speaking at a meeting organised by the Jordan Small and Medium Enterprises Industrial Association (JSMEI), Ali described the exports as minimal because African markets "are a mystery" to Jordanian companies, in addition to the existence of many marketing and financing challenges. 

During the meeting, held to raise awareness of services offered by the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa, Ali indicated that African markets cover a billion people with an economic growth rate of 5 per cent in average, in addition to a large consumption base of many tastes, seasons and income levels. 

This, she remarked, opens exporting opportunities for Jordanian products in many sectors that have not yet been well exploited.

Ali said the ministry, in cooperation with the USAID, prepared a study on the possibilities and opportunities to export local products to five African markets, noting that the study is in its final phase and that the private sector will get to view it once it is done.

JSMEI President Nidal Samain called for intensifying bilateral visits, stressing that the Jordanian industry has developed and now holds a competitive edge in many industries, most importantly in pharmaceuticals. 

Fathi Jaghbeir, member of the Amman Chamber of Commerce, said the Jordanian exports to African markets did not exceed $600 million annually in the past five years, noting that pharmaceuticals, fertilisers, chemical ingredients, plastics, seeds and paper constituted 77 per cent of the total exports last year.