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Under the patronage of Minister of Investment, Kholoud Saqqaf and with the support of Global Affairs Canada, SEAF holds the third workshop to launch the Jordan Fund for Small and Medium Enterprises financing

SEAF Company held a workshop on Saturday, May 6th at the Opal Hotel as part of the Jordan Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Fund project, under the patronage of the Minister of Investment and with the participation of the Canadian Ambassador Tarek Khan, representatives from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the European Union (EU), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the USAID BGA Jordan Business Growth project, representatives from the Union Bank, and a number of experts in the field of financing small and medium enterprises. More than 100 small and medium-sized companies were also in attendance, selected through a evaluation system adopted by SEAF.

The workshop was opened with speeches by Saqqaf, the Canadian Ambassador Tarek Khan, Dr. Abdul Malik Al-Jaber, Chairman of the Board of Directors of SEAF Jordan, and Bert van der Vaart, SEAF Global's Chief Investment Officer and Co-Founder.

The workshop covered several important topics, including the challenges and reality of the industry sector in Jordan, and the available opportunities in this sector.

Speakers in this session included His Excellency Wissam Rabadi, former Minister of Planning, Mr. Thibaut Moyer from the European Union, Mr. Khaled Al-Saheb from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and Dr. Masnaat Al-Hayari from the United Nations Development Programme.

The meeting also included a workshop on financing strategies for companies, which was addressed by Yazan Al-Nasser from the USAID BGA Jordan Business Growth project, Mr. Walid Al-Tarawneh, Chairman of Partners for Better Organization, and Mr.Yavar Mouni from the International Finance Corporation.

This session was moderated by Arwa Obeidat from CrefIT, a technology solutions company. Several owners of small and medium-sized companies in Jordan spoke about the challenges they faced and how their companies were able to succeed and develop.

Eng.Dania Al-Assali, representative of Al-Assali Engineering Consultancy, Eng.Ziad Al-Shammari from Al-Zaeem for Iron, and Ms.Samaheh Al-Marahfeh from Bloom for Dead Sea Products, all shared their experiences. The session was moderated by Dr. Rana Al-Akhal, a member of SEAF Jordan's Advisory Board.

During the workshop, a detailed explanation was given about the Jordanian SEAF fund for financing small and medium-sized companies, its mechanisms, target categories, and the services it provides. On the sidelines of the workshop, Dr. Abdulmalik Al-Jaber stated that the economic modernization vision launched by His Majesty King Abdullah II, the investment plan that was adopted, and the new investment law formed a new starting point, and created incentives for investors to establish investment funds in Jordan.

With the stability enjoyed by Jordan in a turbulent region, the new government direction towards a genuine partnership with the private sector and attracting foreign investments, and amending laws aimed at creating a favorable and attractive investment environment encouraged the SEAF Jordan initiative to create a fund aimed at investing in small and medium-sized companies.

Minister Khuloud Saqqaf stated that the government has adopted a comprehensive investment plan based on attracting foreign investments and facilitating investors, and that the new investment law provides a stimulating and attractive investment environment. She also pointed out that the ministry will soon launch the investment window, which includes comprehensive information about investment opportunities available, laws, incentives, and everything that concerns investors.

Saqqaf also referred to the central role of small and medium-sized companies, as they represent about 95% of registered companies in Jordan and employ about 60% of the workforce in the kingdom. She highlighted the ministry's support for all initiatives aimed at providing support and investing in small and medium-sized companies.

Her participation in today's workshop organized by SEAF to launch a fund for investing in small and medium-sized companies comes from her support and the ministry's support for these initiatives.

Saqqaf thanked the Canadian government for supporting the SEAF fund project to invest in small and medium-sized companies and thanked SEAF for organizing this workshop.

As for the Canadian Ambassador Tarek Khan, he stated that the SEAF project to support small and medium-sized companies reflects the commitment of the Canadian government to support small and medium-sized Jordanian companies in order to create job opportunities and promote economic growth in the country.

He also praised the Jordanian government's efforts to create a favorable environment for investment and facilitate investment procedures.