PM pays visits to Maan, Tafileh, checks on vital public facilities

AMMAN — Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Bisher Al Khasawneh on Saturday visited Maan and Dana Biosphere Reserve in Tafileh Governorate.

During his tour of Maan, Khasawneh checked on the services provided to the citizens and visitors, efforts to stimulate investment opportunities, as well as the governorate’s public and vital facilities.

He started his tour by visiting Petra, the rose-red city, during which he directed the concerned officials to raise the level of services provided to the visitors of the archeological city, stressing the necessity of regulating transport services inside the archeological site and maintaining the rule of law. 

Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority (PDTRA) Suleiman Farajat acquainted the premier with the authority’s plans and projects to improve tourist services.

In the presence of members of the Ministerial Committee to follow up on the performance of the development and free zones, the premier also met a number of investors in Maan at Al Hussein Bin Talal University.

Khasawneh also highlighted the government’s efforts to enhance public-private sector partnership and attract investments in the field of road construction.

The government is committed to empower  the private sector and reactivate the role of development zones “to put them on the right track via taking legislative measures and offering distinguished tax treatment on the condition of employing Jordanians”, Petra quoted him as saying.

Commenting on the challenges facing investments in the Kingdom, including production costs, the PM said that the decision on reforming the electricity tariff is meant to rechannel support to targetted sectors, notably the industry, agriculture and tourism sectors.

This year, there are “unprecedented efforts and determination for mineral exploration in the Kingdom’s southern region, he said, noting that several parties have expressed interests in engaging these activities.

Deputy Prime Minister and Local Administration Minister Tawfiq Krishan briefed Khasawneh on the issues raised by investors during the meeting, notably the need to offer exemptions to development zones.

He added that investors urged that governmental services be included under the investment window and that bureaucratic obstacles be eliminated. 

During the tour, the PM also visited the Prince Hussein Bin Abdullah II Cultural Centre in Maan and checked on the projects funded by the Inhad national self-employment programme, which includes 178 projects across the Kingdom, out of which 14 are in Maan.  

Khasawneh also expressed the government’s readiness to provide soft loans to support such projects of youth. These UNICEF-funded projects, implemented by the Business Development Centre, have provided financial support for the hardest hit communities and some 576 jobs. 

During his visit to Maan Field Hospital  allocated for COVID-19 patients, Khasawneh expressed appreciation of the hospital’s staff . He also visited Al Kahir and Baraka woman association in Al Hashemieyah village, an orphan care institution. 

During his visit to Tafileh, 180km southwest of Amman, the premier paid a visit to Dana Biosphere Reserve, the Kingdom’s largest nature reserve. 

Khasawneh emphasised the necessity of promoting the 320 sq km reserve at the national and international levels to attract tourists and investments. 

Khasawneh, during the tour, also met with a number of local residents.