Business leaders in Zarqa seek closer partnership with goodwill campaign

ZARQA — Businesspeople at the Jordan Free Zones Investors Commission on Monday pledged to establish a sustainable partnership with the National Goodwill Campaign to serve its humanitarian and social objectives.

At a meeting with the campaign’s higher committee members, led by HRH Princess Basma, investors underlined their commitment to cooperating with the Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development
(JOHUD) to come up with a systematic approach for recruitment.

“We are ready to draw up a plan that maximises the partnership with the fund, especially when it comes to linking work opportunities with job seekers,” Commission Chairman Nabil Rumman said.

The meeting, the first to be held between the two parties, seeks to push for the establishment of an effective partnership.

“The campaign is dedicated to opening bridges of cooperation with different national economic sectors and building genuine partnerships to best assist the underprivileged,” Princess Basma said.

One of the largest governorates in terms of population, Zarqa is plagued by unemployment, at a rate of 12.3 per cent, which experts view as ‘’unfairly high” for a governorate where 52 per cent of the Kingdom’s industries are headquartered.

“On the other hand, the recruitment volume at the Zarqa Free Zone constitutes 80 per cent of the total labourers in Jordan’s free industrial zones,” Rumman noted.

The Department of Statistics’ latest estimates, which cover the year 2013, put the total population in Zarqa Governorate, 22km east of Amman, at 972,900.

Participants at the meeting listened to challenges facing investors in Zarqa, such as the “culture of shame” that prevents young people from applying for certain jobs.

Also on Monday, the goodwill campaign presented in-kind and urgent assistance to 500 families in Zarqa’s central district and refugee camp with the help of the princess.

Launched in 1999 by JOHUD, the National Goodwill Campaign has so far provided around JD28 million worth of assistance to 287,023 people, reaching more than 1.43 million indirect beneficiaries.

A total of 8,760 students received assistance to continue their higher education under the campaign so far, while some 95,831 received medical care, including major life-changing surgeries.

Moreover, a total of 5,241 income-generating schemes were implemented thanks to the campaign.

Of those who applied for jobs through
JOHUD’s recruitment offices since 2008, 67 per cent were employed, according to the fund.