A Rich Legacy in a Variety of Fields

Looking back over the last five decades, there is a rich legacy and a strong foundation on which to base future economic development in Jordan. Some of the highlights of the U.S.-Jordanian development partnership over the last half of this century are detailed below.

Water:

The water sector has been the single largest recipient of U.S. assistance funds, beginning in the early 1950s with the renovation of several dozen ancient Roman and Byzantine water cisterns. Major projects during the 1960s, 70s and 1980s included construction of the Wadi Ziglab Dam and the King Abdullah (East Ghor) Canal, several wastewater treatment plants and the Deir-Alla-Zai water conveyance and treatment system. In the 1990s, key projects included the new water and wastewater treatment system at Wadi Mousa, and upgrading of the Al-Zai water treatment plant. Given continued water scarcity, current USAID programs aim to strengthen water sector institutions, increase water use efficiency, and improve wastewater quality.

Health and Population:

Public health has long been a USAID priority in Jordan. Early U.S. assistance was used to build and equip the Central Government Laboratory, establish a tuberculosis center, launch Jordan's first School of Nursing, construct maternal and child health care centers, and develop and expand immunization programs. The eradication of malaria in Jordan represents another early achievement. USAID efforts in the 1990s concentrated on improving maternal and child health care through development of a network of 21 Comprehensive Postpartum Centers throughout Jordan. Current USAID-funded activities in health and population build on these earlier programs, expanding our focus to include primary health care services.

Economic Opportunity:

Economic opportunity has always figured in USAID programming in Jordan. However, it was only in the mid-1980s that private sector expansion emerged as a centerpiece of USAID activities in Jordan. The series of initiatives launched at that time included management development projects, loan guarantees for small enterprises, and a commodity import program focused on the private sector. Increasing economic opportunity for Jordanians and supporting private sector expansion continued to be an important element in USAID’s programs in the 1990s. For Jordanian entrepreneurs, this included a new micro-lending program that makes loans available to even the smallest businesses. A new Jordanian-US business partnership was also launched to provide small and medium sized Jordanian businesses with a range of world class business consulting services, especially as related to the Jordan-U.S. Free Trade Agreement. Finally, USAID cooperated closely with Jordanian counterparts to help facilitate Jordan's accession into the World Trade Organization (WTO) and implement needed policy reforms. A key achievement of USAID’s assistance is supporting the development of the Aqaba Special Economic Zone by transforming it into a southern economic growth pole. Current programs continue to focus on developing a sustainable microenterprise industry, developing Jordan’s financial market, and developing Jordan’s private sector to compete more effectively in the global market.

Read more on U.S. Support for the City of Aqaba and Developing the Microfinance Industry.

Transport, Energy, and Industry:

USAID is no longer directly involved in the transport, energy and industrial sectors. However, early USAID projects made a significant contribution. Road projects have included construction of the Amman-Jerusalem highway as well as the road from Amman to the Syrian border and the Ras En-Naqab Rum junction road. In addition, eight roads and five highways, constructed and improved by USAID, enabled the Jordan Valley agricultural produce to reach markets, tourists to visit the USAID-funded restoration of ancient sites in Petra, Pella, and Um Qais among others, and Jordanian products, like potash, originally developed with USAID’s assistance, to be marketed around the world. Historically, other USAID assistance programs have included rural and urban electrification as well as financing for the Jordan Phosphate Company and loans for small industries.

Agriculture:

Development of the Jordan Valley remains one of the most outstanding legacies of past USAID support for Jordan. The first plan for development of the valley was undertaken as early as 1952. During the following decades, assistance was used to build canals, provide seeds and fertilizer, eradicate malaria, and to build schools, health facilities, housing, a telephone system, and commercial centers. Other agricultural projects have in the past included extension programs, livestock improvements, and the development of a network of agricultural research stations across the country. While USAID is no longer directly involved in the agriculture sector, assistance for the water sector is directly impacting the agriculture industry in Jordan. Assistance was provided to improve on-farm water management and crop selection practices, as well as introducing the re-use of reclaimed water in the agriculture sector.

Tourism:

Well presented historical monuments, a stunning physical landscape, and a variety of recreational opportunities have all contributed to the emergence of tourism as one of Jordan's leading source of foreign exchange. USAID has also played a role, in part through the construction of tourist facilities and through the restoration of important historical sites in Amman, Jerash, Madaba, Karak, Petra, Um-Qais, Pella and elsewhere. Although the USAID program in the more recent years no longer provided direct support to the tourism sector, USAID activities in the water sector and activities aimed at providing economic opportunities to Jordanians provided indirect support for Jordanian tourism. For example, the water and wastewater treatment plant in Wadi Mousa helped provide environmental protection for Petra, Jordan's premiere tourist destination. Similarly, Jordanian entrepreneurs interested in tourism benefited through credit, technical assistance and other programs that promote economic opportunity. Currently, USAID is reviving its support for the tourism sector as the springboard for investment, innovation, and economic growth.

Read more on U.S. Support for the Preservation of Petra and the Developing the Tourism Sector.

Education and Training:

Education and training have always figured prominently in the U.S. assistance programs in Jordan. For example, more than 3,000 scholarships were granted to Jordanian students to study at U.S. universities as well as at the American University in Beirut from the early 1950s until the mid-1990s. Many Jordanians who studied in the U.S. during these years continue to be prominent in the economic life of the country to this day. Early programs also resulted in the establishment of a School of Nursing, the Amman Trade School and the Amman Teacher Training College, all during the 1950s. In addition, USAID financed the construction and equipping of about 168 schools educating nearly 150,000 students each year. With the emergence of the University of Jordan and other educational institutions in Jordan, USAID no longer funds long-term scholarships. However, short-term training -- as often as possible at institutions within Jordan -- remains an important USAID activity, whether in programs focused on health and family planning, water resource management or economic opportunity. USAID is currently renewing its assistance to the education sector to support the Government of Jordan’s Education Reform for the Knowledge Economy (ERfKE) initiative.

For a more detailed list of our achievements over the past five decades, you can download the USAID/Jordan Achievements document from the Key Documents section.