High-value industries are no longer an additional developmental option in the path of nations, but have become a crucial standard for measuring their ability to transition from an economy of consumption and traditional services to an economy of production and knowledge. In the Jordanian context, these industries emerge as one of the silent yet crucial pillars of the economic modernization vision and the executive program that derives from it, considering their capability to generate sustainable growth, quality employment opportunities, and enhancing the Kingdom’s competitive position in global value chains.
High-value industries rely on transforming knowledge, technology, and scientific research into products and services with a high economic return, such as advanced pharmaceutical industries, medical technologies, artificial intelligence, semiconductors, agricultural technology, clean energy, and digital industries. These industries are not dependent on the abundance of natural resources as much as they depend on human capital, innovation, and the ability to continually develop, elements in which Jordan possesses a genuine comparative advantage if properly leveraged.
This economic modernization vision clearly recognizes this fact, putting the transition towards high-added-value industries at the core of its objectives, considering it the most crucial entry point for increasing productivity, boosting exports, and reducing reliance on low-impact economic sectors. The executive program of the vision translates this approach through policy packages focused on stimulating investment in advanced technological sectors, supporting innovative startups, and linking higher education and scientific research to market needs, ensuring that growth is knowledge-based rather than merely quantitative expansion.
However, the transition to an economy of high-value industries cannot be achieved through isolated investment decisions or scattered sector initiatives, but requires a comprehensive national system led by knowledge and framed by strategic planning. Here, the pivotal role of the Higher Council for Science and Technology becomes apparent as the organizing mind behind this transition. The council not only supports scientific research but also directs it toward clear national priorities, ensuring that research and development outputs are directly connected to the industry and capable of transitioning into commercially viable products, technologies, and solutions.
The existence of the Scientific Research and Innovation Support Fund under the umbrella of the Higher Council for Science and Technology forms a fundamental lever for localizing high-value industries, through funding applied research, encouraging partnerships between universities and the private sector, supporting technology transfer, and stimulating innovation based on real economic needs. The countries that have succeeded in building advanced industries did so not through importing, but through industry-linked research and development systems that transform ideas into products, research into companies, and knowledge into economic value.
The future vision led by the Council for Future Technology, chaired by His Highness Prince Hussein bin Abdullah II, the Crown Prince, adds a critically important strategic dimension to this path, affirming that advanced technology is not just a technical issue, but a state choice and a project for generations. This vision aligns with the deep intellectual and institutional support provided by His Highness Prince Hassan bin Talal for science and technology, as they form the basis of renaissance and developmental independence, granting the high-value industries project historical depth and rare national continuity.
The real challenge facing Jordan today is not only in identifying promising sectors but in building the environment that enables these industries to grow: incentivizing legislation, smart financing, quality education, and targeted scientific research. When these elements meet within a coherent national framework, high-value industries become more than just an economic goal; they transform into a sovereign tool to enhance economic security, empower youth, and bridge Jordan to the global economy from the position of a producer, not a consumer.
In this sense, high-value industries are not just an item in a document, but a pathway of national transformation that requires patience, investment, and conscious management. If this path is well managed, Jordan possesses all the ingredients to be a model for a small-sized, large-impact country, leading its economy with science and shaping its future with innovation.
