Dulani entrepreneurship conference kicks off

AMMAN — Entrepreneurship in Jordan has long received "great attention", with the first investment fund in Jordan having been established in 1988 which has resulted in several "successful" companies, Secretary General of the Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship Liza Habashneh said on Saturday.

Inaugurating the first-ever Dulani (guide me) conference, organised by the Jordanian-Palestinian Business Forum in cooperation with the Business Development Centre (BDC), Habashneh said that startups in the Kingdom are known for being "pioneering companies" that have managed to prove themselves at the regional and international levels, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The secretary general, deputising for Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship Minister Ahmad Hanandeh, noted that these startups are diverse, and include mobile phone applications, e-commerce, education technology, financial and health technologies, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of things industry. 

She also pointed out that the ICT sector enjoys several incentives and exemptions within activities such as software development, processing digital data, developing mobile phone applications, electronic education and training, digital content, e-games and call centres.  

Head of the Palestinian-Jordanian Business Forum Nathmi Atmeh said that the forum, as part of its social responsibility programme, seeks to support young entrepreneurs and enable them to share their ideas and transform them into successful projects.

Atmeh said that the conference, titled "Between the entrepreneur and businessmen”, provides a showcase opportunity for 15 “success story” startup projects. 

It also provides an opportunity to enhance communication between entrepreneurs and investors, he said.

BDC Director Ghaleb Hijazi said that the Economic Modernisation Vision is focused on supporting entrepreneurship, and especially green entrepreneurship which can contribute to future economic growth.

Hijazi said that the conference aims at providing the national economy with entrepreneurial projects that can boost the national economy and develop the local community by providing the labour market with small, entrepreneurial projects which can generate jobs, therefore reducing unemployment and poverty rates.

Approximately JD8 million in soft loans have been granted to projects between 2020 and 2022, which is “clear proof” that Jordanian youth can develop creative, innovative ideas that can be transformed into investment opportunities.