Groundwork begins for plan to attract green investments

AMMAN — Preparations for the implementation of the National Green Growth Plan (NGGP) kicked off on Monday, with the aim of securing funds for projects in six sectors, where green investments are feasible.

The NGGP is the first of its kind in the MENA region, Minister of Environment Ibrahim Shahahdeh said on Monday, adding that the plan seeks to attract green investments in renewable energy, electricity and water efficiency, waste and wastewater management, green building, ecotourism, transportation, agriculture and capacity building.

The Ministry of Environment launched the NGGP in May of 2017 to guide green-growth projects and align relevant policies and investments with national development goals. It includes 24 projects in the aforementioned sectors, where the potential for implementing green investments is feasible, and also addresses barriers facing green projects in Jordan.

“We are hopeful that green investments, under the NGGP, will achieve Jordan’s goal to realise energy security, create jobs, alleviate the state budget’s burdens and place the Kingdom on the global clean energy map,” Shahahdeh said at a workshop organised by the ministry.

The outcome of a two-year effort involving over 100 national and international experts, the plan aims at leading Jordan into a sustainable economy, which creates more jobs and achieves social inclusion while also reducing negative environmental impacts.

Shahahdeh said that a green economy is one of the Kingdom’s main solutions to addressing the economic and environmental challenges.

The renewable energy projects featured in the plan focus on the generation of electricity using wind and solar energy. The projects are designed to allow for funding through a variety of financing mechanisms from the public sector, the private sector and partnerships between both, as well as through donor agencies.

The NGGP was funded by the German federal environment ministry and implemented by the Ministry of Environment and the Global Green Growth Institute.

Officials said last year that the Arab League requested that the NGGP be shared with its 22 members, describing the request as a great recognition of Jordan’s efforts in renewable energy.

Green economy in Jordan was institutionalised in 2014, when the Cabinet approved the formation of a high-level national steering committee for green economy projects, according to officials.