USAID Jordan Economic Development Program (SABEQ)
The Economic Development Program (known as SABEQ) is funded by United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission to Jordan and is part of its­­­ overall economic cooperation with the Government of Jordan.  The Program is a broad economic development initiative focusing on private sector led growth and is being implemented under a contract between USAID and Deloitte Consulting LLP which has engaged with a large team of international and local partner firms. 

The Program’s mission is to support sectors and activities in alignment with His Majesty King Abdullah’s vision for a Knowledge-based Economy, by inserting Jordanian enterprises into global value chains, promoting investment, and improving the enabling environment to generate value added jobs, exports, foreign direct investment, and sector revenues. To achieve these results, SABEQ ­is working in a number of areas to improve the business environment and to support the private sector’s efforts to enhance productivity in priority economic sectors that are primarily related to the knowledge economy.  The private sector that emerges from these efforts will be a powerful engine for economic growth and employment. 

The SABEQ Program is demand-driven, focusing on “bottom-up”, practical implementation of specific activities that have emerged from extensive stakeholder consultation. Activities are highly leveraged and include significant partnership with the private and public sectors.  This approach is designed to ensure sustainability and incorporates significant effort to change attitudes and encourage “competitive mindsets”.

The Program’s activities to increase Jordan’s exports, through integration into globally sourced product value chains, focus on those sectors in the knowledge economy where Jordan’s educated workforce constitutes a competitive advantage, and which can leverage its extensive investment in education.  Among these sectors are architecture and engineering services, outsourced and shared services (known as BPO), medical services (including tourism and wellness), and services by contract research organizations (CROs) that have grown out of the pharmaceutical sector.  Expected results include increased exports, more internationally accredited firms, and increased employment with or serving multinational businesses.

The Program’s efforts to develop a clean technology / innovation cluster in renewable energy and water conservation products and services focus on driving business creation, research collaboration, and investment.  To that end, the Program will support capacity building to create value added green collar jobs, will assist in creating local demand for clean technology (such as through green building codes or new technology incubators), and will support increased awareness of clean tech economic opportunities such as through the private sector’s EDAMA program.  Expected results include increased employment in the sector, increased number of clean tech start-up firms, increased exports, and increased foreign direct investment.

A key focus of the SABEQ Program is to extend the impact of these efforts described above through a variety of pilot economic development and income generating activities outside Amman in the Karak and Irbid regions.  Included among the activities targeted for support are: a pomegranate production value chain pilot; career development and knowledge centers at regional universities; employment matching and training at regional industries and development zones; and various income generating projects around traditional cottage industries (such as jameed, herbs, handicrafts). 

Supporting all of these activities are a series of enabling activities to improve the general business and investment environment through institutional strengthening and transformation, workforce development and gender integration, and increased public/private dialogue. 

SABEQ utilizes several types of activities to achieve its goals, including direct technical assistance to organizations, ministries and on occasion private firms; procurement of goods and services through local companies; and grants to qualified entities

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