USAID JCP Quarterly Report – January-March 2018

Agency for International Development in the Kingdom of Jordan. Now in its fifth year, JCP has devised an approach that structures its interventions within three complementary work streams: Increasing Exports, Improving the Business Climate, and Increasing Investment. These work streams are designed to add value to the Jordan Compact. JCP has managed to get the Syrian work permits numbers from the Ministry of Labor, with 16,842 among 59,096 work permits claimed to JCP through the Project Management Unit. Additionally, 71 jobs were placed through Jordan Education for Employment (JEFE) and other grantees, and 48 jobs were created through the iPARK, Oasis, and Jordan Education for Employment (JEFE) grants. JCP's grantee Oasis500 has invested in nine companies in the ICT sector, resulting in $174,710 in new investment. Furthermore, up to $140 million in new investment leads were generated through work with the Investment Promotion Directorate of the Jordan Investment Commission (JIC). JCP has invested substantial resources in improving the capacity of the JIC to identify, develop, and secure new investment opportunities. This work has yielded five major leads with international companies, whose combined potential investments could exceed $140 million. These leads, if converted into investments, would have a positive demonstration effect for other investors in a range of sectors, including cosmetics, energy, and tourism. The program has also continued to close out multiple activities with its various stakeholders in government and the private sector. JCP aims to capture the impact of USAID's long-term development activities as well as its response to the Syria crisis through this report and its website. The program's workplan items and narrative summaries of key activities are described in each section of the report, providing a snapshot of JCP's key outcomes and impact against its contractually approved Activity Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Plan (AMELP). Improving the Business Climate is one of JCP's key objectives, and the program has continued to support the Government of Jordan in adopting a secured lending law and implementing an online collateral registry. JCP has also supported the establishment of an online portal for exports national statistics and streamlined the EU Rules of Origin Agreement application process. Additionally, the program has supported Jordan's accession to the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) and the drafting of regulations for the establishment of the venture capital industry. Increasing Investment is another key objective of JCP, and the program has implemented the JIC Investment Promotion Strategy. JCP has also identified investment opportunities and developed investment teasers, and updated the JIC licensing manuals. Furthermore, the program has provided firm-level support to export to the EU markets, including continuing to provide firm-level support to EU export-ready firms (Batch 1) and selecting, assisting, and providing FLA to a second batch of firms ready to export to the EU market (Batch 2). Increasing Exports is a critical objective of JCP, and the program has provided firm-level support to increase trade and investments with the US through AmCham support. JCP has also provided support to export to Africa, including supporting the implementation of the Export to Africa Action Plan and supporting the Jordan Africa Business Association (JABA). Additionally, the program has supported Jordanian companies to penetrate other new markets and enhanced and increased pharmaceutical exports to the region. The program has also finalized JCP grants, including designing, developing, and implementing a medical tourism marketing plan, obtaining Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation by Specialty and Gardens Hospitals, supporting the King Hussein Cancer Center (KHCC) in establishing a home health care regulatory unit, incentivizing the creation of new companies, and enabling and supporting innovation and entrepreneurship in Jordan.