Ammon News -

Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply Maha Ali said Saturday that the government is keen to find a balance between a stable health and epidemiological situation and the national economy.

She told a virtual Jordanian Businessmen Association (JBA) session that the government has allotted JD320 million as a social protection package to assist workers and enterprises in the sectors worst hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ali said that the measures and defence orders the government had enforced, including total and partial curfews and lockdowns, are aimed at protecting the citizens' health, adding that new measures are under consideration to ensure the sustainability of businesses and sectors and bring economic recovery.

The minister presented the key aspects of the ministry's plan with a focus on the business environment, relaxing procedures and simplifying licensing, focusing on the investor's journey project, enhancing electronic transformation and automation and providing government e-services, according to a JBA press release.

Ali said that her ministry seeks to consolidate self-reliance, prop up local industries and pay attention to food security to achieve self-sufficiency and enhance the pharmaceutical and medical supplies industries, where Jordan has a competitive advantage.

The minister also referred to legislative amendments, particularly regarding the companies law and enacting the insolvency law, and enhancing the public-private partnership.

JBA President Hamdi Tabaa said "the many challenges" the national economy is experiencing due to the coronavirus pandemic is of prime concern to the private sector as key economic indicators declined, which warranted collective action by both sectors to overcome its impact with minimum losses.