Germany offers 483.69m-euro assistance to fund Kingdom’s development projects

AMMAN — The German government, under the minutes of  the meeting of the annual Jordanian-German discussions on development cooperation for 2021, which were signed on Wednesday, pledged to offer 483.69 million euros in new development assistance to Jordan.

The amount, comprising grants, technical aid and soft loans, will be disbursed to fund priority development projects in the education, water, sanitation, vocational training and technical education fields, according to a Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation statement.

The pledged assistance distributed 344.37 million euros to fund priority development projects, out of which 300 million euros will be allocated to support and create more jobs in vital sectors, such as water, sanitation and technical education. Around 44.37 million euros was distributed as technical aid and 36.6 million euros was distributed to cover previous pledges made during 2021.

The aid also included 102.72 million euros to cover other projects under the Jordan Response Plan for the Syrian crisis (JRP).

Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Nasser Shraideh, during a meeting with German State Minister in the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) Maria Flachsbarth, briefed the gathering on the Kingdom's economic performance.

He also addressed the social and economic challenges, notably those related to the growth rate that has experienced a downturn in 2020, associated with increased unemployment rates.

The Head of the German delegation reiterated Germany's commitment to enhance partnerships with Jordan, expressing pride in announcing that BMZ support for Jordan in 2021 would reach some 500 million euros to support the Kingdom's efforts towards economic and political-related reforms. She added that Germany will continue to support refugees and refugee-hosting communities.