Planned Jerash industrial city to offer 5,000 jobs — Ensour

AMMAN — Around 25 to 40 per cent of revenues generated from entry fees to archaeological sites in Jerash will be allocated to the northern governorate’s municipalities as of the beginning of next year, Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour said on Monday.

Ensour made his remarks at a meeting with community leaders in Jerash Governorate, some 48km north of Amman, where he underlined the need for citizens to “feel the impact of tourism on their local areas through improved services”. 

He noted that JD15 million was allocated in this year’s budget to start the implementation of an industrial city in the governorate, adding that it will generate 5,000 jobs for local residents.

The premier also said that the civil service by-law, which went into effect this year, is “negotiable” and can be revisited.

Ensour listened to a briefing by Jerash Governor Farouk Qadi and Mayor Ali Qoqazeh on the governorate’s needs and challenges.  

The ministers of tourism, labour, transport, industry, public works and agriculture highlighted a number of projects implemented in Jerash, including one to renovate roads affected by last year’s snowstorm at a cost of JD900,000.

Other projects entailed establishing roads in Souf Refugee Camp at a cost of JD200,000 and rehabilitating the Jerash handicraft market at a cost of JD270,000. 

During the visit, the prime minister inaugurated a JD5.5 million commercial complex that includes 43 shops, in addition to other facilities, and toured a mall being established at a cost of JD400,000 on a land owned by Jerash Municipality, calling for speeding up its construction.