EBRD president on first visit to Jordan

AMMAN — President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Odile Renaud-Basso is visiting Jordan from March 27 to 28 to meet with senior government officials and representatives of the Jordanian financial and business community in Amman.

During her visit, the president will hold meetings with Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs and State Minister for Public Sector Modernisation Nasser Shraideh, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation and EBRD Governor Zeina Toukan, Minister of Energy Saleh Kharabsheh and Governor of the Central Bank of Jordan Adel Al Sharkas, according to an EBRD statement.

President Renaud-Basso will also meet Minister of Water and Irrigation Mohammad Najjar, Minister of Investment Kholoud Saqqaf, Deputy Chief Commissioner of the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority Hamza Haj Hassan, and CEO of the Aqaba Development Corporation Hussein Al Safadi.

President Odile Renaud-Basso said: “I am delighted to be visiting Jordan for the first time as EBRD president and I look forward to this opportunity to deepen our cooperation. We are committed to supporting Jordan’s reform agenda by improving competitiveness and promoting inclusion and the growth of the private sector to contribute to the country’s transition to a greener, and well-governed economy.”

The EBRD president will be joined by Heike Harmgart, managing director for the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean region and Philip ter Woort, director for the Eastern Mediterranean region.

Since 2012, the EBRD has provided more than 1.9 billion euros in financing through 71 projects in Jordan, including financial support for the Jordanian banking sector through loans to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, and through subordinated debt and trade finance facilities.