AMMAN — With key economic indicators on an upward trajectory and investor confidence gaining ground, Jordan is entering a new phase in its investment journey, one where ambition is increasingly being matched by delivery.

 

In an interview, Minister of Investment Tareq Abu Ghazaleh describes 2025 as a turning point, where reform, digitalisation and strategic planning converged to produce tangible, on-the-ground results.

 

What is taking shape is not a sudden transformation, but a steady and measurable shift. For years, Jordan’s investment narrative has been built around potential; its location, stability and access to markets. Today, that narrative is increasingly supported by performance: rising inflows, expanding activity and a more responsive investment environment.

 

“The main element that we are trying to enhance is the overall investment environment to accommodate more growth and to create more job opportunities,” Abu Ghazaleh said, describing investment as a central pillar of economic policy. “We are looking at investment as a key element to support our economic growth.”

 

Confidence reflected in numbers

 

The strengthening of investor confidence is reflected across multiple indicators. Foreign direct investment inflows into the Kingdom reached approximately $2.024 billion in 2025, while the Amman Stock Exchange recorded a 50 per cent increase in market value. Meanwhile, the Central Bank’s foreign reserves reached $28 billion.

 

These figures, taken together, point to a more stable and attractive investment environment, one that is not only drawing interest but translating it into capital and activity.

 

“These are indicators for an output,” Abu Ghazaleh said, emphasising that the focus is not only on the numbers themselves, but on the system producing them.

 

A key feature of this phase is to expand from attracting investment to sustaining and expanding it.

 

In 2025, 628 companies benefited from investment incentives, marking a 14.4 per cent increase compared to the previous year. The Ministry of Investment also completed 7,568 incentive and facilitation transactions, covering a wide range of services from licensing and expansion to operational adjustments.

 

This level of activity reflects a deeper trend: investors are not only entering the market but growing within it.

 

Abu Ghazaleh pointed to this as a critical indicator of confidence. Investment, he noted, is not measured solely by initial entry, but by the willingness of investors to expand and reinvest.

 

The ministry’s approach is structured around what Abu Ghazaleh describes as the “three O’s”: openness, operations and opportunities.

 

“The first O is openness… the second is operations… and the third one is opportunities.”

 

Openness reflects Jordan’s integration into global markets. With 49 bilateral investment agreements and a wide network of free trade agreements, the Kingdom offers investors access to markets far beyond its domestic size.

 

This positioning allows Jordan to serve as a regional platform.

 

“Jordan… plays a major role in being the gateway,” Abu Ghazaleh said, pointing to opportunities linked to regional development and reconstruction.

 

The second pillar, operations, focuses on the practical realities of doing business.

 

“We looked at the details of profitability for any investor,” Abu Ghazaleh said, highlighting efforts to ease costs and improve sustainability.

 

This includes targeted incentives, particularly in sectors where input costs, such as energy and logistics, are significant. Development zones play a key role in this approach, offering ready infrastructure and sector-specific incentives.

 

Procedural improvements have also been central. Licensing timelines in development zones have been reduced from 15 days to 7 working days, reflecting a broader effort to streamline processes and reduce delays.

 

“Investors look at how fast they can move,” he said, underscoring the importance of speed in investment decisions.

 

Investment driving regional development

 

Investment activity is increasingly extending beyond traditional economic centres.

 

In 2025, 70 new establishments were registered in development zones across the Kingdom, with investments nearing JD195 million and expected to generate more than 4,000 jobs.

 

Across all development zones, there are now 1,624 investors, with total investments approaching JD5.984 billion and employment exceeding 130,000 jobs.

 

“Investment is a development tool,” Abu Ghazaleh said. “Not only a financial tool.”

 

This reflects a broader shift toward linking investment with local development, ensuring that growth is more evenly distributed across governorates.

 

The third pillar, according to Abu Ghazaleh, is opportunities, which he says signals a more diversified approach to investment.

 

The ministry has developed a portfolio of around 100 investment opportunities, distributed across sectors and regions, including energy, logistics, healthcare, tourism and information technology.

 

These opportunities are supported by detailed data and actively promoted through targeted engagement.

 

“We are in close contact with the private sector to identify the opportunity, the needs and to help them,” Abu Ghazaleh said, emphasising the role of collaboration in shaping the investment landscape.

 

This approach reflects a shift from passive promotion to active development of opportunities aligned with market demand.

 

Digital transformation

 

Digitalisation is playing an increasingly central role in improving the investment environment.

 

“We are in a digital transformation era,” Abu Ghazaleh said, noting efforts to “utilize the data… to support decision making, and ease doing business remotely.”

 

The ministry has relaunched the “Invest.jo’’ incentives and regulatory information. Additional tools, including an investment calculator and AI-powered services, are designed to improve transparency and reduce uncertainty.

 

“Transparency… is very important,” he added, highlighting the importance of accessible and accurate information.

 

These developments aim to simplify the investor journey and improve overall efficiency.

 

Jordan’s approach to investment promotion is also evolving, according to the minister.

 

“We knocked their doors. We do not wait for them [investors] to come,” Abu Ghazaleh said, describing a more proactive strategy.

 

This is reflected in engagement with 224 companies globally and the implementation of 12 international promotional campaigns during 2025.

 

Such efforts are aimed at positioning Jordan more competitively in a global investment landscape.

 

Abu Ghazaleh highlighted that the ultimate objective of investment growth is its impact on employment.

 

“When you are looking at unemployment, you cannot take absolute figures. You have to see trends,” Abu Ghazaleh said, noting improvements since the launch of the Economic Modernisation Vision.

 

Unemployment currently stands at around 16 per cent, with expectations of continued improvement as multi-billion investment activities expand.

 

“We have to accelerate that trend,” he said, linking job creation directly to investment facilitation.

 

Looking ahead, Jordan aims to achieve GDP growth approaching 4 per cent within the next three to four years, a level seen as supportive of broader employment gains.

 

A stable and strategic investment destination

 

Jordan’s investment appeal continues to be anchored in its stability and resilience.

 

“Jordan has been always in a turbulent region,” Abu Ghazaleh said, noting that the country has been able “to maneuver successfully” through regional challenges.

 

This stability, combined with consistent policy direction and economic reforms, has helped reinforce investor confidence.

 

“We are staying the course. We have a plan,” he said, referring to the long-term framework provided by the Economic Modernisation Vision.

 

The minister underlined that Jordan’s investment proposition is increasingly defined by two complementary dimensions. First, the continued modernization of its economy, supported by reforms, infrastructure development and digital transformation, and, second, its role as a regional gateway.

 

“Jordan is the right place… the right gateway, for a safe investment,” Abu Ghazaleh said, highlighting the Kingdom’s strategic positioning.

 

This dual approach reflects a broader vision: to position Jordan not only as an investment destination, but as a platform for growth across the region, Abu Ghazaleh highlighted.

 

The trajectory remains gradual, but the direction is clear. Investment indicators are improving. Activity is expanding. Processes are becoming more efficient. Opportunities are broadening. But more importantly, confidence is increasingly being reflected in tangible outcomes.

 

Jordan’s investment journey is moving beyond promise, toward delivery, according to Abu Ghazaleh, who underscored that as the shift continues, it is shaping not only the investment landscape, but the broader trajectory of economic growth in the Kingdom.