Amman, February 17 (Petra) – Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Zeina Touqan signed two agreements with Director General of the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development Walid Shamlan Al-Bahar to finance the third phase of the public education infrastructure project and the road and bridge rehabilitation project, each valued at KWD 10 million (approximately $32.6 million).

The signing ceremony was attended by Minister of Public Works and Housing Maher Abu Saman, Minister of Education and Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Azmi Mahafzah, and Kuwaiti Ambassador to Amman Hamad Rashid Al-Marri.

According to a statement by the ministry on Monday, these agreements are part of Kuwait's commitment at the 2018 Makkah Summit to provide a soft loan program worth $500 million to Jordan, aimed at implementing development priorities to improve basic services across several sectors.

The public education infrastructure project aims to establish five technical and vocational schools in the governorates of Irbid, Amman, Ajloun, Karak, and Zarqa, with a total of 108 classrooms. The initiative seeks to enhance technical and vocational education opportunities for students in grades 10, 11, and 12 while alleviating overcrowding in existing schools.

The road and bridge rehabilitation project aims to enhance traffic flow and safety. It includes maintenance of roads totaling about 2,528 km, refurbishment of bridges in northern, central, and southern regions, rehabilitation of water drainage facilities, and implementation of traffic safety measures.

Touqan expressed the government's appreciation to Kuwait for its ongoing support, underscoring the robust bilateral relations and strategic partnership with the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development. She noted that from 1962 to 2024, the volume of development cooperation with the Fund reached about $2.1 billion, including approximately $1.33 billion in grants for development projects and around $778 million in soft development loans.

Director General of the Fund Al-Bahar reiterated Kuwait's commitment to supporting development efforts in Jordan, emphasizing the continuation of the development partnership to facilitate the implementation of priority economic and development programs and to enhance the provision of essential services to citizens.

//Petra// AJ

17/02/2025 15:16:16