Jordan’s Economic Vision in Its Third Year: Has the Shift from Planning to Execution Begun?
Jordan’s Economic Modernization Vision is now entering its third year — a stage that tests the country’s ability to move from plans to tangible results. Three years after its launch in 2022, the key question arises: has the shift from planning to real impact on people’s lives truly begun?
When launched, the vision aimed to achieve 5% annual growth, create one million jobs over ten years, and attract 4 billion dinars in yearly investments. Three years later, growth remains around 2.8%, unemployment is still about 21.3%, and investment inflows have reached less than a quarter of the target. Still, reforms in legislation and business climate form a solid base for future progress.
Macroeconomic indicators show relative stability. Inflation has dropped below 2%, and foreign reserves have exceeded 22 billion dollars. Yet, these improvements have not fully reached households or the labor market. Public debt remains high, close to 118% of GDP, which makes balancing fiscal discipline with economic growth a central challenge.
In investment, there has been visible progress in tourism and renewable energy, but productive and technological investments need stronger momentum. Encouraging long-term partnerships, reducing bureaucracy, and developing new financing tools will help diversify growth drivers and make the economy more resilient.
Compared with countries like Egypt, Tunisia, and Morocco, Jordan faces similar debt and budget pressures. However, it enjoys better political and monetary stability. The challenge now is to turn that stability into productivity and competitiveness, rather than settling for financial balance alone.
Public sector reform remains key to accelerating implementation. The real measure of effectiveness lies not in the number of institutions but in their efficiency and decision-making capacity. The restructuring and merger steps taken recently are positive, but the next phase must focus on results-based management that links plans to measurable outcomes.
Similarly, stronger coordination between the public and private sectors is crucial. The government’s Performance Follow-Up Unit is a good start, but it should evolve into a national transparency platform that publishes regular results and connects ministerial performance with real economic and social outcomes. Establishing publicly available national performance indicators (National KPIs) would also create a culture of measurable accountability.
Development financing must also evolve. Jordan should move beyond traditional borrowing toward innovative tools such as debt-for-development swaps and long-term investment partnerships. These can reduce debt pressure and channel resources into high-growth sectors like technology, clean energy, and smart agriculture.
Among the country’s major projects, the National Railway Project, the National Water Carrier, and regional energy and transport connections represent strategic opportunities to reposition Jordan as a regional hub. However, most of these projects are still in the planning stage, and faster implementation with clear timelines is needed to turn them into real growth engines. The 2026 national budget will be another critical test of how well the government can link the vision with fiscal policy. After years focused on stability and spending restraint, Jordan now needs a development-oriented budget that invests in education, technology, and productive infrastructure — driving growth and job creation.
In conclusion, the third year of Jordan’s Economic Vision marks a turning point between planning and execution. The country now has a strong foundation of financial and institutional stability. The next step is to translate goals into results and ambitions into reality. When citizens begin to feel the vision’s impact in their income, employment, and public services, only then can we say Jordan has truly begun its transition from planning to implementation.
Jordan’s Economic Modernization Vision is now entering its third year — a stage that tests the country’s ability to move from plans to tangible results. Three years after its launch in 2022, the key question arises: has the shift from planning to real impact on people’s lives truly begun?
When launched, the vision aimed to achieve 5% annual growth, create one million jobs over ten years, and attract 4 billion dinars in yearly investments. Three years later, growth remains around 2.8%, unemployment is still about 21.3%, and investment inflows have reached less than a quarter of the target. Still, reforms in legislation and business climate form a solid base for future progress.
Macroeconomic indicators show relative stability. Inflation has dropped below 2%, and foreign reserves have exceeded 22 billion dollars. Yet, these improvements have not fully reached households or the labor market. Public debt remains high, close to 118% of GDP, which makes balancing fiscal discipline with economic growth a central challenge.
In investment, there has been visible progress in tourism and renewable energy, but productive and technological investments need stronger momentum. Encouraging long-term partnerships, reducing bureaucracy, and developing new financing tools will help diversify growth drivers and make the economy more resilient.
Compared with countries like Egypt, Tunisia, and Morocco, Jordan faces similar debt and budget pressures. However, it enjoys better political and monetary stability. The challenge now is to turn that stability into productivity and competitiveness, rather than settling for financial balance alone.
Public sector reform remains key to accelerating implementation. The real measure of effectiveness lies not in the number of institutions but in their efficiency and decision-making capacity. The restructuring and merger steps taken recently are positive, but the next phase must focus on results-based management that links plans to measurable outcomes.
Similarly, stronger coordination between the public and private sectors is crucial. The government’s Performance Follow-Up Unit is a good start, but it should evolve into a national transparency platform that publishes regular results and connects ministerial performance with real economic and social outcomes. Establishing publicly available national performance indicators (National KPIs) would also create a culture of measurable accountability.
Development financing must also evolve. Jordan should move beyond traditional borrowing toward innovative tools such as debt-for-development swaps and long-term investment partnerships. These can reduce debt pressure and channel resources into high-growth sectors like technology, clean energy, and smart agriculture.
Among the country’s major projects, the National Railway Project, the National Water Carrier, and regional energy and transport connections represent strategic opportunities to reposition Jordan as a regional hub. However, most of these projects are still in the planning stage, and faster implementation with clear timelines is needed to turn them into real growth engines. The 2026 national budget will be another critical test of how well the government can link the vision with fiscal policy. After years focused on stability and spending restraint, Jordan now needs a development-oriented budget that invests in education, technology, and productive infrastructure — driving growth and job creation.
In conclusion, the third year of Jordan’s Economic Vision marks a turning point between planning and execution. The country now has a strong foundation of financial and institutional stability. The next step is to translate goals into results and ambitions into reality. When citizens begin to feel the vision’s impact in their income, employment, and public services, only then can we say Jordan has truly begun its transition from planning to implementation.
Jordan’s Economic Modernization Vision is now entering its third year — a stage that tests the country’s ability to move from plans to tangible results. Three years after its launch in 2022, the key question arises: has the shift from planning to real impact on people’s lives truly begun?
When launched, the vision aimed to achieve 5% annual growth, create one million jobs over ten years, and attract 4 billion dinars in yearly investments. Three years later, growth remains around 2.8%, unemployment is still about 21.3%, and investment inflows have reached less than a quarter of the target. Still, reforms in legislation and business climate form a solid base for future progress.
Macroeconomic indicators show relative stability. Inflation has dropped below 2%, and foreign reserves have exceeded 22 billion dollars. Yet, these improvements have not fully reached households or the labor market. Public debt remains high, close to 118% of GDP, which makes balancing fiscal discipline with economic growth a central challenge.
In investment, there has been visible progress in tourism and renewable energy, but productive and technological investments need stronger momentum. Encouraging long-term partnerships, reducing bureaucracy, and developing new financing tools will help diversify growth drivers and make the economy more resilient.
Compared with countries like Egypt, Tunisia, and Morocco, Jordan faces similar debt and budget pressures. However, it enjoys better political and monetary stability. The challenge now is to turn that stability into productivity and competitiveness, rather than settling for financial balance alone.
Public sector reform remains key to accelerating implementation. The real measure of effectiveness lies not in the number of institutions but in their efficiency and decision-making capacity. The restructuring and merger steps taken recently are positive, but the next phase must focus on results-based management that links plans to measurable outcomes.
Similarly, stronger coordination between the public and private sectors is crucial. The government’s Performance Follow-Up Unit is a good start, but it should evolve into a national transparency platform that publishes regular results and connects ministerial performance with real economic and social outcomes. Establishing publicly available national performance indicators (National KPIs) would also create a culture of measurable accountability.
Development financing must also evolve. Jordan should move beyond traditional borrowing toward innovative tools such as debt-for-development swaps and long-term investment partnerships. These can reduce debt pressure and channel resources into high-growth sectors like technology, clean energy, and smart agriculture.
Among the country’s major projects, the National Railway Project, the National Water Carrier, and regional energy and transport connections represent strategic opportunities to reposition Jordan as a regional hub. However, most of these projects are still in the planning stage, and faster implementation with clear timelines is needed to turn them into real growth engines. The 2026 national budget will be another critical test of how well the government can link the vision with fiscal policy. After years focused on stability and spending restraint, Jordan now needs a development-oriented budget that invests in education, technology, and productive infrastructure — driving growth and job creation.
In conclusion, the third year of Jordan’s Economic Vision marks a turning point between planning and execution. The country now has a strong foundation of financial and institutional stability. The next step is to translate goals into results and ambitions into reality. When citizens begin to feel the vision’s impact in their income, employment, and public services, only then can we say Jordan has truly begun its transition from planning to implementation.
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Jordan’s Economic Vision in Its Third Year: Has the Shift from Planning to Execution Begun?
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