EBRD, partners to invest 3.12 bln USD in Jordan

AMMAN, May 3 (Xinhua) -- The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and its partners will invest 2.6 billion euros (3.12 billion U.S. dollars) in Jordan during the next two to five years.

Heike Harmgart, director of the Eastern Mediterranean Region of the EBRD, made the remarks at a press conference on Thursday, saying that around one billion euros will be invested by the bank itself.

Agreements for the investment projects in Jordan will be signed during the 27th Annual Meeting and Business Forum of EBRD, which is set to kick off at the King Hussein bin Talal Convention Centre at the Dead Sea between May 8 to 10.

A total of 2,500 participants from across the globe will take part in the annual meeting.

"Our theme is energizing economies and we aim to engage participants with informed, sometimes provocative discussion and debate on a variety of topical issues -- from business climate to economic growth, from targeted, profitable investment to environmental protection," the EBRD said in a statement Thursday.

"Jordan is the first country across the Arab region to hold EBRD's Annual Meeting," Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Imad Fakhoury said at the press conference.

Harmgart said the bank invested one billion euros worth of investments in less than six years in Jordan in various sectors.

"We are aiming to give our investors the confidence to keep on supporting the resilience of the country and set the road for further development," she added.

"Jordan is currently working on intensifying the communication with EBRD's stakeholders in order to develop new areas of cooperation in different sectors, including urban transport, renewable energy, social infrastructure, solid waste, water and sanitation," Fakhoury said. Enditem