King Abdullah II Centre for Excellence recognises top ministries, companies in annual awards ceremony

AMMAN — In the presence of His Majesty King Abdullah, the King Abdullah II Centre for Excellence (KACE) on Monday held the ninth edition of the King Abdullah II Award for Excellence awards ceremony at the Cultural Palace.

This year's competition featured the participation of 86 ministries and government institutions across eight sectors, with 144 employees nominated for the Distinguished Government Employee Award. 

Of these nominees, 33 advanced to the final stage, resulting in 13 winners, as reported by KACE, which oversees the awards, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra. 

In the private sector category, 42 companies took part, with 21 large and small institutions from industry and services submitting entries. 

The Central Bank of Jordan was recognised in the category of previous winners of the King Abdullah II Award for Excellence in Government Performance and Transparency. 

The Ministry of Health claimed first place in the large ministries category, while the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research was awarded in the small and medium ministries category.

Other sector winners included the Energy and Minerals Regulatory Commission, which topped the infrastructure and energy sector, the National Agricultural Research Centre, which excelled in the local and social development sector; and the Jordan Food and Drug Administration won in the health and health regulation sector. 

The Jordan Customs Department was top in the finance and investment sector.

In the Distinguished Secretary General/Director General category, Nizar Haddad, former director general of the National Agricultural Research Centre, secured first place, while Mahmoud Khleifat received the Seal of Excellence.

The newly introduced Distinguished Public University category, aimed at fostering competition and enhancing university performance, saw the University of Jordan take first place. 

The Jordan University of Science and Technology and the German Jordanian University shared second place, where both received the Seal of Excellence.

Six employees were honoured in the Distinguished Leadership/Supervisory Employee category, while four awards were presented in the Distinguished Administrative/Technical Employee category and three in the Distinguished Support Employee category.

For the King Abdullah II Award for Excellence in the Private Sector, winners included Irbid District Electricity Company in the large service companies category, Abu Aoudeh Brothers in the large industrial companies category, and Jordan Oil Terminals Company (JOTC) in the SMEs category.

Several companies received the Seal of Excellence, including Dar Al Omran for Infrastructure and Environment Consultants, Pine Tree Garments, Airport International Group, and the Jordan Free and Development Zones Group (JFDZG).

In the government sector, the Seal of Excellence was awarded to the Civil Defence Department, the Ministry of Social Development, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, the Government Tenders Department, and the Greater Amman Municipality.

Special recognition was awarded to Orange Jordan, the first Jordanian telecommunications company to achieve a five-star rating from the European Foundation for Quality Management. 

Samra Electric Power Company and Jordan Phosphate Mines Company were also honoured for receiving four-star ratings in the energy and mining sectors, respectively. 

Also, the King Abdullah II Special Operations Training Centre (KASOTC) was recognised as the first Jordanian training centre to receive a four-star rating.