JSF-WBG dialogue session hears of public-private partnership

AMMAN — The Jordan Strategies Forum (JSF) and World Bank Group (WBG) on Wednesday held a dialogue session under the theme “Public-private sector partnership in Jordan: Speeding up implementation”.

The event is aimed to enhance the private sector’s role in partnership projects with the government and discuss the next steps to accelerate the implementation of planned projects in Jordan.

Talks during the meeting also focussed on developing a permanent public-private dialogue mechanism, according to a statement made available to The Jordan Times.

JSF Chairman Abdelelah Khatib said that the dialogue session is part of the forum’s efforts to stimulate constructive dialogue and establish ties among stakeholders on pressing economic matters.

For his part, JSF CEO Ibrahim Seif said that “conditions are ripe to reach a true and effective partnership, especially after approving the public-private sectors partnership law and identifying a set of value-added partnership projects”.

He added that such partnerships have been hailed as success stories by various countries.   

Farid Belhadj, vice president of the World Bank for Middle East and North Africa Affairs, voiced the WBG’s support for the Kingdom’s efforts towards institutionalising the two sectors partnership projects, notably by providing the necessary material and technical support.

WBG Dean of the Board of Executive Directors Mirza Hassan said that the Kingdom’s economic conditions require serious steps to address the investment issue and public-private partnership projects.

The WBG, through the International Finance Corporation, is ready to offer all technical and financial support to these projects, he added.

Zeid Tarawneh, head of the Prime Ministry’s public-private partnership department, said the government, in coordination with the ministries of Planning and Finance, is preparing the terms of reference for a number of partnership projects.

He pointed out that there is a list of projects ready for implementation, to be launched before the end of this year after the completion of the preparatory procedures.

Iyad Al Dahiyat, director of the government investment management department at the Ministry of Planning, stressed the need to harmonise sectoral and national economic objectives.