Economists have affirmed that Jordan possesses solid productive foundations that enable it to lead a “self-reliance” project, with significant opportunities to boost local production and expand the export base.
اضافة اعلان
In statements to the Jordan News Agency (Petra), they stressed that Jordanian industries today have real potential to achieve advanced levels of self-sufficiency in many products, alongside substantial, yet untapped, export opportunities.
President of the Jordan and Amman Chambers of Industry, Engineer Fathi Jaghbir, said that His Majesty the King has raised self-reliance as a strategic national approach aimed at placing Jordan on a path toward building a productive economy capable of safeguarding its commodity security and enhancing resilience in the face of global crises. This has been pursued through the Economic Modernization Vision 2022–2033, which laid the foundations for developing the national economy, strengthening local production, and positioning the industrial sector at the heart of the growth strategy. Industry accounts for nearly one-third of the Vision’s targets, underscoring its pivotal role in creating added value, generating employment, and enhancing Jordan’s competitiveness regionally and internationally.
He noted that this approach has been translated into practice through continuous royal follow-up of the industrial sector, including His Majesty’s repeated visits to factories and chambers of industry, direct engagement with industrialists’ needs and challenges, and ongoing directives to support national production. These efforts focus on high value-added projects and sectors, strengthening self-sufficiency in essential goods, and developing national supply chains to ensure Jordan’s ability to withstand global economic disruptions.
Jaghbir added that the concept of self-reliance also encompasses building an integrated production ecosystem based on developing workforce skills, adopting modern technology, raising productivity, improving operational efficiency, enhancing factories’ access to competitively priced production inputs, and facilitating access to local and international markets. It also includes promoting innovation, research, and development to produce higher value-added goods capable of competing globally.
He emphasized that these practical steps are steering Jordan toward becoming a productive and exporting economy rather than merely a consumer market, and toward establishing strong national supply chains that enhance the Kingdom’s ability to meet its needs for food, medicine, raw materials, and industrial goods. He noted that the Commodity Self-Sufficiency Report 2019–2024 issued by the Jordan Chamber of Industry recorded notable progress in import substitution and increased resilience of the national production base. The export-to-import coverage ratio rose from 37% to 46%, reflecting the industrial sectors’ ability to reduce reliance on imports and strengthen commodity security.
Jaghbir explained that mining industries achieve near-complete self-sufficiency and form a foundational base for dozens of other industries. Construction industries cover 82% of local market needs, while the packaging sector meets around 77% of domestic demand and represents a key component of industrial value chains. Chemical industries also demonstrate strong performance, covering more than 73% of market needs, while food industries provide about two-thirds of national consumption.
In the pharmaceutical sector, he noted that exports exceed twice the value of imports, with an import coverage ratio (ICR) of 240%, confirming Jordan’s capacity to transform into a productive and exporting pharmaceutical hub with globally recognized quality standards.
The ready-made garments sector also records a large trade surplus, with an export-to-import coverage ratio reaching 720%, while indicators for diversified chemical products approach 90%, reflecting local market confidence in these products and revealing broad opportunities for export expansion.
For his part, President of the Jordanian Investors Association, Mujahid Al-Rajbi, said that industrial exports account for more than 90% of total national exports, noting that these figures were achieved through the efforts of thousands of factory workers who transformed ambition into reality and production into a source of national pride. He stressed that Jordanian industry has proven its presence in global markets from the United States to Europe and the Gulf, emphasizing that self-reliance requires integrated efforts from all stakeholders, as it is a national responsibility shared by all.
Meanwhile, President of the Irbid Chamber of Industry, Hani Abu Hassan, underscored the importance of expanding industrial investment, supporting local production chains, encouraging citizens to purchase national products, and strengthening public–private partnerships to achieve self-reliance as a strategic national direction. He stressed the need to provide an economic environment that supports manufacturers and investors, simplifies procedures, and removes obstacles to increase industry’s contribution to GDP.
He also highlighted the importance of expanding renewable energy projects and improving industrial energy efficiency to reduce costs and enhance the sector’s growth capacity.
Abu Hassan added that transitioning toward automation and the use of artificial intelligence systems and smart data analytics contributes to improving production-line efficiency, reducing waste, and enabling Jordanian industry to achieve higher levels of quality and production continuity, while keeping pace with rapid changes in global markets.
He emphasized the importance of sustained investment in vocational and technical education and directly linking its outputs to market needs to ensure the generation of a workforce aligned with industrial development and capable of leading the transformation and production process. He noted that this workforce complements Jordan’s strong productive sectors, foremost among them the industrial sector, which has proven its ability to grow, remain resilient, and create jobs even under the most challenging conditions.
He affirmed that the pharmaceutical, chemical, mining, food, and garment industries are characterized by advanced production structures, decades of accumulated expertise, and regional and international reputations that have made Jordanian products present in more than 150 markets worldwide.
In turn, Head of the Department of Finance and Banking Sciences at the Faculty of Business at the Hashemite University, Dr. Maher Al-Khasawneh, highlighted the importance of the National Water Carrier Project as one of the most prominent strategic projects in the Kingdom’s history, given its comprehensive solutions to strengthening water and food security.
He stressed the importance of supporting and expanding local industries to enhance national production, increase their contribution to GDP, reduce reliance on imports, and achieve self-sufficiency in essential goods.
Al-Khasawneh noted that national industries have proven in recent years their ability to meet a significant portion of market needs and provide local alternatives to some imported products, underscoring their effectiveness and potential for expansion.
He also emphasized the importance of developing Jordan’s capital market and enhancing financial inclusion to support high-risk startups. A developed market provides effective mechanisms to finance national projects, stimulates investment in productive sectors, and enables small and medium-sized enterprises to access the financing needed for growth and expansion—thereby creating jobs and increasing GDP. He added that advances in financial technology and digital finance can play an additional and vital role in facilitating access to both domestic and foreign financing. (Petra)
