Jordan, Canada discuss trade, investment opportunities

AMMAN — The Jordan Investment Commission (JIC) and a group of Canadian businesspeople have discussed trade and investment opportunities during a meeting held remotely.

The virtual meeting was held in cooperation with the Jordanian embassy in Canada and the Canada-Arab Business Council (CABC), the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Jordan has taken “great” steps to improve its business and investment environment, Petra quoted JIC Chairman Khaled Wazani as saying.

Wazani also underlined the most prominent investment attraction indicators, primarily the World Bank and Doing Business 2020 reports, which showed that Jordan has become among the top world three countries in doing business, adding that the Kingdom ranked 10th in implementation of reforms.

Highlighting Jordan’s “tremendous” business growth potential and several competitive advantages that have put it on the global investment map, he said the Kingdom has set “sound” economic policies and a vision to ensure that it becomes a major market in the MENA region and an active partner in developing neighbouring markets.

To help pick and expedite investment projects, he said the JIC has prepared a special file for the most important investment opportunities in the Kingdom that includes preliminary feasibility studies in many diverse economic and investment sectors, such as industry, food, agriculture, tourism, information and communication technology (ICT), healthcare, energy and mining.

Head of the CABC, Scott Jolliffe, stressed the desire to increase trade and investment cooperation between the two countries, given the competitive privileges that Jordan enjoys and its regional location that helps entry into many Arab and international markets.

Jolliffe urged Canadian businesspeople to study investment opportunities offered by the JIC.

Canadian Ambassador to Jordan Donica Pottie said that Canada and Jordan enjoy close bilateral relations, as Jordan is a strategic partner.

“We seek to increase cooperation in the trade and investment fields,” the envoy said referring to the agreements signed between the two sides, especially a deal aimed to encourage and protect foreign investment.

The free trade agreement (FTA) with Canada is the first in the Arab region in promoting trade and investment cooperation, according to the envoy.

Pottie urged Canadian companies to invest in the Kingdom, noting that Jordan is a safe investor destination with an educated workforce and a “gateway” to access potential large markets in Iraq and Syria.

The ambassador said that the Jordanian market provides opportunities in agriculture, renewable energy, healthcare and ICT.