A new international report has recommended establishing a specialized investment fund (RLI Fund) to support businesses linked to refugees and the local community in Mafraq Governorate, with the goal of financing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and expanding job opportunities.
اضافة اعلان
The report, published by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), stressed the importance of enhancing private-sector investment in Zaatari Camp and surrounding areas in Mafraq to support companies that integrate vulnerable groups, including women, youth, persons with disabilities, and refugees.
According to the report, translated by Al-Ghad, Mafraq has all the components to become a model for location-based impact investment. These include startups, educational initiatives, and innovative projects that integrate refugees into the local economy while creating sustainable jobs for all.
The report highlighted that most Syrian refugees in Mafraq are entrepreneurial, hardworking, and worthy of investment, representing an important economic force in local development.
Recent estimates by UNHCR indicate that the number of Syrian refugees in Mafraq reached 64,000 by the end of August 2025, including 56,000 in Zaatari Camp. More than 12,000 refugees have returned to Syria following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime on December 8, 2024.
The report noted that Mafraq’s Development Zone could attract more investment to strengthen the local economy and improve the living standards of its residents. The governorate is home to the King Hussein Bin Talal Development Zone (KHBTDZ), one of five development zones in Jordan.
With official plans to convert the nearby King Hussein Air Base into a multi-use airport, the area is expected to gain prominence as a regional transport hub. This aligns with Jordan’s Economic Modernization Vision, which seeks to establish a logistics center for storage, distribution, and classification in the KHBTDZ as a strategic investment opportunity.
The King Hussein Industrial Zone has already attracted 47 factories with investments valued at 270 million Jordanian dinars (USD 380 million), creating over 1,000 jobs—more than half benefiting Mafraq residents. Key sectors include renewable energy, logistics, light chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and food and beverages.
Businesses in Mafraq account for 12% of all economic activity in northern Jordan and about 3% nationwide. Among these firms, 55% operate in metals; 17% in leather and textiles; 8% in extractive industries; and another 8% in food, agriculture, and livestock.
Economic challenges
The report acknowledged that while the influx of Syrians into Mafraq has posed challenges and economic competition with host communities, it has also boosted commercial activity, raised competitiveness in local markets, and improved standards in the trade and industrial sectors.
At the same time, Jordan’s economy faces broader challenges, including regional instability from violent conflicts, high unemployment, climate risks, water scarcity, and declining international grants to support refugees.
Recommendations to boost investment opportunities
The report offered several recommendations, presenting them as a roadmap to transform Mafraq into a national model for impact investment—one capable of driving sustainable growth and creating jobs for both refugees and Jordanians. Among them:
Establishing a fund to support refugee and host community projects in collaboration with development investors and venture capital funds.
Promoting impact investment through partnerships with investment funds, development institutions, and local donors.
Strengthening partnerships between the humanitarian and private sectors to enable employment and skills development programs aligned with market needs.
Supporting local businesses with investment readiness and technical assistance via rural reform initiatives.
Leveraging the Global Concessional Financing Facility (GCFF) to support SMEs and improve access to digital income opportunities.
Promoting Mafraq and the King Hussein Industrial Zone through a dedicated website, business directory, and success stories, while encouraging Syrian-registered companies in Jordan (over 1,600 firms) to expand into Mafraq and create jobs.
The report emphasized that innovative startups and impact-driven businesses not yet based in Mafraq could play a decisive role in sustainable and inclusive local development—particularly in financial inclusion, energy management, and agricultural innovation.
It also urged strengthening the impact investment ecosystem by engaging development finance institutions, donors, and local organizations such as the Crown Prince Foundation, adopting a “place-based investment” approach that addresses Mafraq’s development needs, and focusing on promising sectors like cold storage and alternative energy.
