Khaberni - Popular and official entities demand the urgent transformation of the Jordan Valley area into a sustainable and integrated development region, aiming to maximally benefit from its economic potentials hidden in the agriculture, tourism, and energy sectors, and contributing to achieving comprehensive economic development and creating job opportunities for its residents, according to Al-Ghad daily.
They believe that the strategic importance and natural resources of the Jordan Valley deserve a comprehensive vision that transcends isolated projects, pointing out that the Jordan Valley, with its location, fertile lands, water resources, historical, and global touristic and religious significance, makes this vision an urgent necessity.
Recently, activists have prepared a study including a comprehensive vision for transforming the Jordan Valley into a sustainable and integrated development region, based on four main development pillars: smart agriculture and agricultural innovation, environmental and therapeutic tourism, renewable energy, and manufacturing industries and logistical services.
Citizens express their hope that this vision will be translated into reality, explaining that the transformation of the Jordan Valley into a development area will enhance the improvement of life quality for citizens, public facilities, and the region's contribution to the national economy, thereby accommodating young men and women in the job market, noting that the success of the Jordan Valley transformation project into a development region requires launching a serious national dialogue to adopt an integrated strategic vision starting with the establishment of an authority with special powers and issuing investment incentive laws, with a focus on sustaining water and environmental resources in this vital area.
In this regard, Deputy Khalifa Diyat confirms that transforming the Jordan Valley into a "sustainable and integrated development region" is a national strategic project aiming to achieve a qualitative leap in the Jordanian economy, through diversifying the economic base of the region away from almost complete reliance on traditional agriculture, pointing out that this vision starts from the tremendous abilities of the region that is considered the food basket of Jordan, in addition to its historical, religious, and touristic importance.
He highlights that the strategic goal of this vision is to create thousands of job opportunities and achieve balanced economic and social growth, increase the region's contribution to the gross domestic product, and enhance food and energy security for the kingdom, summarizing the vision as an integrated development model based on four main pillars: advanced smart agriculture using modern technologies to enhance food security and face water challenges, developing environmental and therapeutic tourism in areas like the Dead Sea and Hamat Gader, and religious tourism with several sites like the baptism site and historical shrines, and to capitalize on solar energy by establishing power stations across the valley, in addition to a pillar for manufacturing industries and logistics services linked to establishing specialized food industrial areas (canning, freezing, drying).
"The Jordan Valley Development Authority"
Deputy Diyat insists on the necessity of establishing the Jordan Valley Development Authority with special powers, similar to the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority and issuing the necessary legislation to facilitate procedures and provide attractive investment incentives, adding: "A high-level national committee must be formed to adopt and develop this vision, and to start successful pioneer projects as a nucleus for comprehensive development, and to establish a strong international marketing plan to attract global partners."
He affirms that "the idea of developmental regions was mentioned among the options in the developmental regions’ draft projects, and one of the members of the royal committee for drafting them confirmed that it aims to apply the principle of decentralization to facilitate the provision of services and achieve development", clarifying that the transformation of the Jordan Valle [...]
