Ammon News -

Prime Minister, Bisher Khasawneh on Saturday visited the southern Governorate of Ma'an as part of a series of tours and field visits he is making to many areas in the Kingdom.

The visit aims to check first-hand on services provided to citizens and visitors, and to stimulate investments, in addition to inspecting the public and vital facilities in the governorate, in implementation of the royal directives to the government to intensify field work and improve the standard of living and services for citizens.

"As we celebrate the centennial of the Jordanian state, we realize that the Ma'an Governorate is a symbol in the history, present and future of the Jordanian state and in the conscience of His Majesty King Abdullah II and His Highness Prince Hussein bin Abdullah II, his faithful Crown Prince," Khasawneh said.

"We are always proud of the people of Ma'an and their achievements in the march of the homeland," he added.

The Prime Minister began his visit to the Ma'an Governorate with a visit to the ancient city of Petra, where he toured the Rose City and called for raising the level of services provided to tourists and visitors to the city, in addition to regulating transportation service providers within the ancient city and imposing the rule of law in this field.

The Prime Minister stressed that the Jordanian state provides the ancient city of Petra, which is the jewel of Jordanian tourism, the most attention and care.

He also stressed the need to expedite the vaccinations against the Coronavirus by the largest possible proportion of society, which is the best way to continue to open sectors, especially tourism.

Khasawneh pointed out that increasing the vaccination of residents and workers in Petra will allow it to be declared a green area in a way that encourages global tourism and gives reassurance to tourists and visitors, and motivates the tourism activity and the crafts and professions associated with it, which were affected by the previous lockdowns.

The Prime Minister, accompanied by a number of ministers, listened to a briefing from the Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority (PDTRA), Chief Commissioner Suleiman Farajat, on the PDTRA's plans and projects designed to develop the tourism product and attract local, Arab and foreign tourism.

The Premier toured the various facilities of the ancient city of Petra, including the Petra Museum, which tells the story of the Nabataean civilization, as well as restoration projects and preservation of this human heritage.

He also inspected the Petra Visitors Center and checked on services it provides to tourists and visitors to the city.

The Prime Minister's tour included the "Siq" and the Treasury, which are important landmarks in the ancient city. He also talked to tourists and visitors to the Rose-Red City, including Jordanian citizens, Arab and foreign nationals.

On the other hand, the Prime Minister met with a number of investors in Ma'an Governorate at Al-Hussein Bin Talal University, in the presence of members of the Ministerial Committee to follow up the performance of the development and free zones.

Khasawneh underlined the symbolism of Ma'an in the Jordanian state during the hundred years of its founding, recalling the footprint of its sons.

He also affirmed that Ma'an Governorate has a place in the conscience of His Majesty King Abdullah II and Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II, the Crown Prince, and in the hearts of Jordanians.

He added that the government is working to strengthen partnership with the private sector and attract investments in the field of the road network to build a modern and safe road network, which is a lever and enabler for economic movement, and achieves savings on the public treasury and ensures the sustainability, maintenance and modern management of a safe road network that preserves the safety and lives of citizens and achieves reasonable and legitimate profit for the investor and optimal service for citizens and the economy.

He further added that the government is committed to empowering the private sector, reactivating the development zones and putting them on the right track, by taking legislative measures, and considering granting various tax transactions provided that they are linked to the employment of Jordanians in projects and investments in the governorates, in implementation of the royal visions which call for advancing these zones and provide a decent life for citizens of the governorates.

He added that the first concern of His Majesty King Abdullah and his directives to successive governments is the need to communicate directly with citizens and listen to their complaints, in order to improve their standard of living and provide them with a decent life.

The Prime Minister said, "We hope to live up to the confidence that His Majesty has placed in this government by bringing about a procedural and investment revolution that will benefit the citizens."

He indicated that this is a fundamental matter that the government seeks to implement to a varying degree until the spring of next year, hoping that it will solve the problems related to the debt of the National Electric Power Company, which will be reflected in directing support to the productive sectors.

He pointed out that the government is aware of the challenges facing investment, such as production costs and their impact on infrastructure, noting that the decision to reform the electric tariff aims to redirect

He indicated that this is a fundamental matter that the government seeks to implement to a varying degree until next spring season, hoping that it will solve the problems related to the debt of the National Electric Power Company, which will be reflected in directing support to the productive sectors.

Khasawneh also underlined the need to adopt a single investment window for the investor, linked to all his issues, in order to simplify and facilitate procedures, and reduce bureaucratic procedures that take more time.

He added that the government is working on a number of central strategic projects, including the railway link project from the governorates of Ma'an and Aqaba towards Madhouna, which is witnessing real interest from important investment entities.

He further added that there is unprecedented work and continuous interest this year in the minerals located in the south of the Kingdom by parties that have expressed their desire to explore these minerals, which will benefit the economy.

With regard to the public sector, the Prime Minister stressed the importance of recovering the efficiency of the sector, which was previously attested to, and for the employee to feel that public service is an honor.

He reiterated that the public sector is no longer able to absorb graduates from universities to supply the labor market, which requires the government to continue empowering the private sector "to find investments that provide job opportunities for our daughters and sons."

He explained that the Corona pandemic affected the Kingdom, in terms of liquidity and a decrease in public revenue as a result of closing sectors, adding: "We hope that we have come out of the difficult and delicate stage in dealing with the repercussions of the pandemic, amid fears of the Indian variant."

He urged citizens to vaccinate against the virus, which contributes to returning life to normal.

He also urged young people to think outside the box and to search for innovative pioneering projects by taking advantage of the financing funds of some institutions.

In this regard, he lauded the experience of a young man from Ma'an, who benefited from the "Inhad" project in establishing a factory for cups, which has become a successful experience in exporting his products abroad.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Local Administration Tawfiq Krishan, in turn, briefed the Prime Minister on all issues raised by investors at the meeting, such as granting exemptions to development zones, inclusion of government services under the umbrella of the investment window, removing bureaucratic obstacles to investor transactions, and the lack of production costs in local markets.

During his visit to the Al-Hussein bin Abdullah II Cultural Center in the city of Ma'an, Prime Minister, Bisher Khasawneh was briefed on a group of projects and initiatives that are being implemented within the framework of the national program for self-employment (Inhad).

The program implements 178 projects in the governorates, including 14 projects in Ma'an.

The Prime Minister saluted the young men and women of Maan for their spirit of initiative in establishing small projects that contribute to providing income and job opportunities that reduce unemployment.

He underscored the government's readiness, through financing funds, to provide soft facilities to support such projects.

These projects, funded by UNICEF and implemented by the Business Development Center, provided economic support to communities most affected by the Corona pandemic and about 576 job opportunities.

The projects in Ma’an governorate are divided between a sophisticated pharmacy, a stone and marble saw, the first obstetrics and gynecology clinic in the governorate, a maintenance center for "hybrid" cars, and a sewing factory.

On the other hand, Khasawneh visited the Ma'an field hospital, designated to receive cases of coronavirus. The Prime Minister expressed his appreciation to the working medical cadres who constitute the first line of defense for human health and society.

The Prime Minister called on citizens to take the anti-Coronavirus vaccines "so that we can resume our normal lives with high confidence."

The Prime Minister directed the Minister of Health to study the needs of Ma'an Public Hospital in terms of medical cadres and specializations.

In addition, the Prime Minister visited the "Al-Khair and Al-Baraka" women's association in the town of Al-Hashmiyah in Ma'an Governorate. He was briefed by the association's president about the it's goals, which are based on sheltering orphans.

The association is implementing a project for a bakery operator, which is the only one in the area, and hopes to turn it into a production kitchen.

The Prime Minister stressed that the government, under the directives of His Majesty the King and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, is working to intensify field tours to identify citizens' needs and provide them with the best services.

The Prime Minister also listened to a briefing on a number of projects, examples of which were presented in the association, which is a project for the Al-Jafr Women’s Association, which consists of sewing household items, the Shobak Ladies Association through a project for the production of dairy and cheese, a bakery project for the "Wadi Musa widows" association, and a sweets and pastries factory project for the As-Salam (Peace) Association for the development of the Badia in Al-Jafr and a bakery project in the town of Muhammadiyah.