Last January, Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs Luigi di Maio went on a two-day mission to Jordan (we wrote about it here). The visit represented an opportunity to review the relations between the two countries, characterized by a strong friendship, and to discuss new initiatives, including a new memorandum of understanding on development cooperation focused on agriculture and food security.
Interviewed by The Jordan Times, Mr. Di Maio said: “Italy strongly supports the stability and prosperity of Jordan […] both through our development cooperation programs and the presence of Italian companies in the country, which operate primarily in the infrastructure, energy and telecommunications sectors”.
Good bilateral relations and the country’s ability to maintain economic and political stability in a complex regional scenario contribute to making Jordan an appealing market for Italian companies, as Italian Ambassador in Amman, Fabio Cassese, said in an interview for Farnesinaxleimprese, a podcast produced by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The interest and passion for the “Made in Italy” brand in Jordan opens up opportunities both for producers of consumers good, especially in the fashion, furniture, cosmetics and agri-food sectors, and for machinery and equipment manufacturers, who already are a reference point for the local processing industry.
Moreover, Jordan is making significant efforts to modernize the key sectors of its economy. The agricultural and food industry, characterized by typical Mediterranean products, such as vegetables, fruit and olive oil, and a fragmented business fabric is among the economic sectors that are most engaged in this transformation and innovation process. One of the challenges that the agricultural and food industry faces is the development of high-quality supply chains: something that Italian technology and know-how could help achieving.
Finally, Jordan is investing heavily in the ecological transition. Only recently, Jordanian Minister of Energy Hala Zawati said that the country plans to reach a 30 per cent share of renewables in total power by 2030. The objective is that of reducing the country’s dependence on oil imports and ensuring a decent quality of life for its citizens, in particular with regard to access to power and safe drinking water. In this respect, there is interest for Italian know-how in water and waste treatment, as well as in managing the delicate equilibrium between energy production and the environment.
In other words, Jordan aims at developing and innovate its economy and is looking for partners to cooperate with: a valuable opportunity for companies that represent Italian excellence and want to enter an attractive but very competitive market.
