Foreword
This FDI Qualities Review of Jordan examines how foreign investment can help Jordan meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the areas of productivity and innovation, job quality and skills, gender equality and decarbonisation. FDI provides an important source of financing in Jordan but the reform momentum needs to be sustained and deepened so that the benefits of investment can be shared more widely across society. The review sheds light on the contribution of FDI to sustainable development and identifies policy options to increase its positive impacts. It provides an overview of Jordanian public institutions responsible for investment, taking a close look at arrangements to ensure policy co-ordination, stakeholder consultation and evaluation of policy impacts. It also examines the mix of government policies that are currently in place to attract the investment that contributes to sustainable development, noting areas for priority policy reforms.
The review has been prepared by the OECD in close co-ordination with the Ministry of Investment and with the support of a dedicated task-force that included the Ministry of Planning and International Co-operation; Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship; Ministry of labour; Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources; Ministry of Environment; Ministry of Higher-Education and Scientific Research; Ministry of Industry Trade & Supply; Ministry of Local Administration; Central Bank of Jordan; Economic and Social Council; Jordanian National Commission for Women; Jordan Enterprise Development Corporation; Higher Council for Science and Technology; National Centre for Innovation; National Centre for Human Resources Development; Vocational Training Corporation; Department of Statistics; Jordan Strategy Forum; Jordan Chamber of industry; Jordan Chamber of commerce; Jordanian Society for Renewable Energy; Jordanian Society for Business and Entrepreneurship; European Commission; International Labour Organization; and International Trade Centre. The contribution and participation of the Ministry of Investment, represented by Areej Zgailat, Amal Momani and Salam Albawab, was instrumental to the completion of the report.
The review is part of the EU-OECD Programme on Investment in the Mediterranean and serves as a pilot for future country and regional work to support reform efforts in the Middle East and North Africa region and beyond. It supported the development of the OECD FDI Qualities Policy Toolkit which provides policy guidance to strengthen the contribution investment can make to sustainable development. The review has benefited from peer review by the OECD Investment Committee and the OECD FDI Qualities Network.
The review was prepared by a team led by Fares Al-Hussami and comprising Stratos Kamenis, Iris Mantovani, Letizia Montinari, Martin Wermelinger, and Takashi Yukizawa of the Investment Division in the OECD Directorate for Financial and Enterprise Affairs. It is developed as part of the OECD FDI Qualities Initiative, led by Martin Wermelinger, Head of Investment Qualities and Incentives, under the overall guidance of Ana Novik, Head of the Investment Division, and Stephen Thomsen, Deputy Head of the Investment Division. Carla Grados Villamar, Mertol Ozaltan and Mariadolores Schiavone provided substantive inputs. Hélène François and Sarah Marion Dayan of the Investment Division and Alin Horj of the Middle East and Africa Division in the OECD Global Relations Secretariat, provided valuable comments. Liv Gudmundson and Robert Akam helped prepare the report for publication. Nadia Kameleddine and Angèle N’Zinga provided project and administrative assistance.