AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Monday was
briefed on progress in the implementation of the government’s executive
programme for the Economic Modernisation Vision (EMV) for the year 2023, according to a Royal Court statement.
اضافة اعلان
During a meeting with officials at Al
Husseiniya Palace, attended by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Al Hussein bin
Abdullah II, King Abdullah stressed the need to maximise efforts and speed up
implementation of programmes, while focusing on mega projects, and preparing
the workforce to benefit from the opportunities offered by these projects.
His Majesty highlighted the need to enhance
cooperation between ministries to speed up the implementation of the vision,
and to avoid delays that may result from bureaucratic impediments.
The King called for enhancing communication
between officials, Jordanians, and the private sector, and utilising media
tools to highlight outcomes of priorities and projects and explain their impact
on Jordanians’ lives, while guaranteeing the completion of each priority
through the government’s follow-up unit.
Highlighting the importance of developing a
follow-up system to analyse performance, address risks, and regulate
accountability, His Majesty urged officials to work relentlessly, without
hesitation.
At the meeting, attended by Prime Minister
Bisher Khasawneh, the King said Jordan’s economic indicators were positive and
within expectations before the war on Gaza last year, adding that work must
continue to improve the economic outlook this year.
His Majesty listened to a briefing by Deputy
Prime Minister for Economic Affairs and Minister of State for Public Sector
Modernisation Nasser Shraideh on major achievements across the economic
vision’s eight engines.
On investment, the King said there is a
possibility to achieve better outcomes than the current outlook with regards to
attracting foreign investments to meet expectations.
On government performance follow-up, Minister
Shraideh said a dashboard was launched last year that transparently explains
progress in the EMV’s executive programme for 2023-2025, noting that data is
regularly updated through quarterly progress reports available for the public
to view.
His Majesty also followed up on progress in
various sectors within the EMV’s executive programme, foremost of which is the
Aqaba-Amman Water Desalination and Conveyance Project.
The project offers wide opportunities for
local industries to benefit from its construction and operation requirements,
as well as other requirements valued at billions of dollars, the King said,
calling for equipping the labour force, especially youth, with the needed
skills to work on the project once it is launched within the upcoming two
years.
His Majesty reiterated the need to secure
concessional financing for the project from international financing
institutions, in light of the challenges Jordan is facing as a result of
hosting refugees.
Water is a top national priority today, said
the King, adding that any delays in the project are unacceptable, in order to
guarantee its completion before the end of this decade.
At the same time, His Majesty directed the government to prepare
suitable alternative plans to avoid any challenges that could affect water
supply to Jordanians and various sectors.
The King also stressed the important role of
the private sector in the project, as well as expanding it to benefit the
national economy and develop local industries.
For his part, Water Minister Raed Abu Soud
said the water conveyance project is a strategic project for Jordan, as part of
the EMV, adding that the project seeks to secure 300 million cubic metres of
desalinated water annually to meet drinking water needs in Jordan.
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