The Speech from the Throne sets a clear standard for evaluating economic performance: the ability of development to improve citizens' lives and expand their opportunities for work, education and healthcare. The royal directive that the interest of the Jordanian citizen must be at the heart of every decision carries a direct message to the bodies that formulate and implement policies: the value of a decision is measured by its results, and by what it adds to people's livelihoods and to the economy's capacity to produce and generate opportunities.
اضافة اعلان
This approach means that economic indicators must be read through their impact on families and businesses. Growth gains greater importance when it is accompanied by expanded employment and improved productivity and income. Investment becomes more valuable when it creates new jobs and drives the sectors linked to it. Therefore, evaluating economic success requires tracking how the results of growth reach citizens, and how widely its benefits are shared across governorates and different groups.
This is where the importance of the royal directive to accelerate the implementation of major projects becomes clear. Time is a factor that affects their economic viability. Delayed implementation postpones the expected jobs, production and services, and may raise costs. What is needed is to turn this directive into clear implementation schedules, defined responsibilities and solutions to obstacles, with monitoring of financing, operating costs and expected returns, so that faster delivery goes hand in hand with efficient use of resources and sustainable results.
These projects gain greater economic value when they are linked to the local economy, by creating opportunities for suppliers, contractors and small and medium-sized enterprises, and by training Jordanians for the jobs they require. A large project can drive many activities around it, provided these links are planned early, the skills required are identified, and local companies are enabled to compete. This widens the impact of investment and gives the governorates a tangible share of its opportunities.
At the top of these priorities is water security, which the Speech gave exceptional importance. Water is an essential input for agricultural, industrial and tourism activity. Its steady availability affects investment decisions, production costs and the ability of businesses to expand. Spending on water projects therefore yields economic and social returns, and requires in parallel raising the efficiency of resource management, reducing losses, and ensuring the sustainability of operations, the quality of service and fair access to it.
Achieving these goals is also linked to what the Speech affirmed about the rule of law and the responsibility of public office. Investors need clear procedures, fair treatment and the ability to anticipate requirements. The fewer the exceptions and the greater the equality in applying the rules, the more trust grows in competition, and the feasibility and efficient management of a project become the basis of its success. This places the quality of public administration among the factors directly affecting investment and growth.
Citizen service also has an economic dimension that goes beyond completing a transaction. Delays in licensing or approval can freeze capital and postpone hiring, and multiple requirements consume businesses' time and resources. Measuring institutional performance should therefore include the speed, clarity and cost of procedures, and the ability to resolve problems within the law, which improves the business environment and protects the rights of those who deal with them.
This standard extends to the management of public spending and the discussion of budgets. Allocations must be linked to measurable results, and it must be clear what they will add to services, infrastructure and employment opportunities. Limited resources require careful prioritization, assessment of spending's impact, and review of programs whose returns are delayed, while protecting the efficiency of the essential services on which citizens depend and on which the economy's capacity to grow rests.
The economic response to the Speech from the Throne begins with organized implementation and continuous follow-up. Citizens are waiting for job opportunities, better services and an improved ability to cope with the burden of living costs. Businesses are waiting for an environment that helps them produce and expand. When these results become a yardstick for accountability and for evaluating policies, confidence in the path of economic modernization grows, and development gains its practical meaning in the lives of Jordanians.
