AMMAN — Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply Yarub Qudah on Wednesday stressed the importance of leveraging regional resources, capabilities and financial potential to establish high-value-added joint industrial projects.

 

Speaking at a session titled “Industrial Integration and Regional Value Chains” during the “Made in the Gulf 2026” Forum and Exhibition, held in Bahrain from October 6 to 8, Qudah said competition among global economic powers is increasingly centred on rare minerals, semiconductors and advanced industries.

 

Qudah proposed a regional project based on Jordan’s silica reserves, starting with purification to produce high-purity silicon and silicon wafers, before linking these inputs to specialised manufacturing stages across regional countries according to their respective competitive advantages, according to a statement by Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply.

 

He said such integration could create interconnected industries spanning semiconductors, computers, solar cells and optical fibres, increasing added value and expanding investment and export opportunities between Jordan and regional partners, including the UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

 

Qudah said the availability of raw materials alone is insufficient to ensure economic viability, noting that establishing comprehensive production bases within individual countries would entail high costs.

 

Regional integration across different stages of production, he added, would help achieve greater regional self-sufficiency while enhancing the competitiveness of finished products.

 

Qudah cited the food industry as a practical model for integration, proposing that regional investments be directed towards Jordanian agriculture to provide inputs for food manufacturing across the region, thereby linking agriculture with processing and exports.

 

Qudah highlighted regional challenges as evidence of the need to develop interconnected supply-chain networks and alternative trade routes.

 

He noted that Aqaba Port is operating above capacity, with around 70 per cent of its activity serving the region.

 

He also underlined the importance of the railway project linking Aqaba Port with phosphate and potash mines, which will connect to the Maan Land Port and national railway networks extending towards regional borders.

 

Qudah added that Jordan’s free trade agreements with Britain, the European Union, the United States, Canada and the Greater Arab Free Trade Area (GAFTA) represent competitive advantages that can support regional industrial integration under approved rules of origin.

 

The session also featured by Bahraini Minister of Oil and Environment Mohamed bin Dainah, AD Ports Group Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Hameli, and Foulath Holding Chairman Meshari Judaimi.