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Ammon News - Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh said Monday that his government, under the directives of His Majesty King Abdullah, is working on a matrix of economic priorities for post-Covid recovery.

The matrix is linked with commitments by sectoral ministers to come up with a roadmap over a period of two years, including projects that are tied to funding windows either from the treasury or public-private partnership projects or open to investment, he told a meeting with Jordan Chamber of Industry President Fathi Jaghbir and sector representatives.

The premier said during the meeting, which was held in his office in the attendance of the ministers of industry, Trade and Supply, Maha Ali, Finance, Mohammad Al-Ississ, and Labor, Yousef Al-Shamali, that among the key ventures is the railway link between Aqaba and Madouna in its initial stage that could extend to Iraq, noting that many parties are interested in the project.

The Prime Minister referred to a serious discussion that took place yesterday during the tripartite summit between His Majesty King Abdullah, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sissi and Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kazemi in Baghdad about an oil and gas pipeline and industrial city on the Jordan-Iraq border, and the need to speed up accomplishment of the two projects.

He also stressed the need to work on devising sectoral strategies, not just drawing policies, that will have a positive impact on the economy in general, and the various economic sectors.

Khasawneh urged a "real review" of challenges and hindrances facing the industrial sector, including energy costs, to enhance the sector's competitiveness, protect the local industry and promote exports.

For her part, Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply Maha Ali stressed that the industrial sector's major contribution to the national economy, noting that the government is interested to see its strategies further enhance the sector's competitiveness.

Jordan Chamber of Industry President Fathi Jaghbir spoke about the key challenges and concerns of industrialists, stressing the need for a real partnership between the government and the private sector in the decision-making process.