JEDCO partnership to walk SMEs through export steps

AMMAN — The Jordan Enterprise Development Corporation (JEDCO) on Sunday signed an agreement with Manafeth for Consulting and Training (Manafeth) to provide specialised advisory services to 22 local industrial small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to analyse their readiness to export, according to JEDCO.

In a statement, the corporation noted that Manafeth will also design and implement a training programme for participants and provide them with coaching sessions to accelerate their exports.

The agreement was signed by JEDCO CEO Bashar Al Zoubi and Manafeth General Manager Shadi Gammoh.

Regarding the agreement, Zoubi confirmed that JEDCO has recently launched several technical and financial support programmes to assist local SMEs in developing their exports, the statement said.

He noted that the company will analyse the SMEs products, determine the appropriate export markets and follow up on the implementation of those plans within seven months, in line with the agreement.

Technical support will include providing those SMEs with lists of potential buyers in the targetted markets, enhancing their capabilities in effective communication with potential buyers, drafting and concluding contracts and selecting the best shipping methods, Zoubi noted in the statement.

For his part, Gammoh thanked JEDCO for the “fruitful partnership”, appreciating efforts made by the teams working in both institutions, and their help providing services and benefits to local SMEs, which “will reflect positively on JEDCO’s activities in the future”.

Manafeth will implement its services in four main phases. Each phase will include many activities and processes to achieve the desired goals, according to the statement.

The first phase will incorporate analysis of SMEs’ readiness to export by designing a form to evaluate them and conducting field visits to assess their current situations. 

The second phase will involve designing a three-day training programme for participating SMEs containing the analytical tools that the participants need to enhance their knowledge and skills in building export plans.

The third phase, the statement noted, will focus on providing support to SMEs to prepare export plans. Over a span of three months, it will include desktop research to identify target markets and potential customers and training in attending international exhibitions, as well as coaching and orientation sessions.

The last stage will be based on providing support and follow-up throughout the implementation period and assisting SMEs in assessing their internal conditions, conducting market studies, meeting market entry requirements and drafting export plans. It will also provide guidance, coaching and advice for four months, the statement concluded.