JORDAN COMPETITIVENESS PROGRAM QUARTERLY REPORT
APRIL - JUNE 2016
July 2016 This publication was produced for review by the United States Agency for International Development. It was prepared by DAI.
JORDAN COMPETITIVENESS PROGRAM QUARTERLY REPORT
APRIL - JUNE 2016
Program Title: Jordan Competitiveness Program Sponsoring USAID Office: Economic Development and Energy Contract Number: AID-278-C-13-00005 Contractor: DAI Date of Publication: July 15, 2016 Author: USAID JCP Staff
The authors’ views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Agency for International Development or the United States Government.
CONTENTS
ABBREVIATIONS ...... VI EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...... 7 COMPONENT I: CLUSTER DEVELOPMENT ...... 8 COMPONENT II: SUPPORTIVE ENABLING ENVIRONMENT ...... 27 COMPONENT III: WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT ...... 31 COMPONENT IV: ACCESS TO FINANCE ...... 35 CROSS-CUTTING ACTIVITIES ...... 38 OPERATIONS ...... 40 PROCUREMENT ...... 43 KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS ...... 44
USAID JCP QUARTERLY REPORT | APRIL - JUNE 2016 v ABBREVIATIONS
A2F Access to Finance CBJ Central Bank of Jordan CDC Career Development Center CGO Career Guidance Offices GRP Growth Readiness Program CT Clean Technology FDI Foreign Direct Investment GJU German Jordanian University GoJ Government of Jordan HEAC High Education Accreditation Council ICT Information and Communication Technology IFC International Finance Corporation JCP Jordan Competitiveness Program JFDA Jordan Food and Drug Administration JHA Jordan Hospitals Association JSF Jordan Strategy Forum JUST Jordan University of Science and Technology KAFD King Abdullah II Fund for Development KHBP King Hussein Business Park MoH Ministry of Health MoITS Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply MoPIC Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation MTC Medical Tourism Council PHA Private Hospitals Association PSUT Princess Sumaya University for Technology SEE Supportive Enabling Environment SSO Skills Standardization Organization WFD Workforce Development
vi USAID JCP QUARTERLY REPORT | APRIL - JUNE 2016 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
JCP this quarter received clear guidance from USAID to assist in the establishment of a Project Management Unit (PMU) at the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, an effort that will support implementation of the historic Jordan Compact. At the same time—and in keeping with the policy-level focus of the PMU, JCP began re-evaluating its cluster-driven activities to ensure that only those with a demonstrable, life-of-project impact are retained in the program’s year-four workplan.
This process has been both deliberate and expansive, in the sense that JCP understands the gravity of the task at hand—namely, to not only reach the program’s ambitious jobs, investment, and exports targets, but to do so across sectors and in a way that can be readily appreciated not only by our client but by the Jordanian people whom we aim to serve.
To this end, in June, the program’s technical teams thought through the implications of these new imperatives, preparing presentations for internal review that answered the following three “guiding questions”:
1. Which regulations, laws, and policies can JCP influence to massively increase investment and job opportunities? 2. What partners can JCP best work with to accomplish the above? 3. More broadly, what would you like JCP to be remembered for?
As the teams gave serious consideration to these questions, additional information came in during the month to assist them in their planning process:
1. Results from JCP Impact Assessments and Evaluations: these “bottom-up” analyses of project activities by external consultants and JCP’s M&E team provided rich information and insight for the teams to use in the planning process.
2. REACH 2025 Vision Document: The ICT team received the first installment of a two-part ten-year strategy for the entire ICT sector, broadly defined. This section provided background and a high-level vision for the industry. This information have proven very valuable as the ICT team answers the three guiding questions of the work planning process.
With the JCP year-four workplan due in the coming quarter, the following report makes note, where appropriate, of activities that are being reconsidered as part of the planning process. The report, however, retains the narrative structure stipulated in our USAID-approved current-year workplan. We recognize, of course, that this structure will, by necessity, change in forthcoming reports, to include in part a fuller brief on progress in the PMU’s implementation (as of this writing, the PMU had been established, but the activity fell outside of the current reporting period).
In the meantime, the following represents highlights of our activities from April through June 2016, followed (in a separate attachment) by a summary of progress against our Key Performance Indicators.
USAID JCP QUARTERLY REPORT | APRIL - JUNE 2016 7 COMPONENT I: CLUSTER DEVELOPMENT
JCP engages private-sector stakeholders in a collaborative process to develop and implement plans and growth strategies in three sectors based on approaches that capitalize on competitive advantages and bring to bear global best practices being developed around the world—ensuring that Jordan is becoming one of the lead countries in designing these new practices. Below are highlights of our work this quarter in the Clean Technology (CT), Medical Services and Pharmaceuticals, and Information and Communications Technology (ICT) clusters.
CLEAN TECHNOLOGY
The Jordanian government aims to generate 10 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020. This is both an environmental and an economic imperative. Renewable Energy (RE), such as that generated by solar panels, will help reduce reliance on carbon fuels and their rising costs; Energy Efficiency (EE), through LED and similar technologies, will boost the efficiency of Jordanian enterprises, making them more competitive.
An essential part of JCP’s strategy is to open new markets for Jordan’s clean tech companies by supporting the implementation of new and innovative pilot projects that can demonstrate value, raise awareness of renewable energy and energy efficient opportunities, and address financial and regulatory issues that pave the way for future investments. With that as background, the following CT activities are therefore grouped into three themes: 1) Implementing Transformative Projects, 2) Expanding Clean Energy Markets, and 3) Windows of Opportunity.
Implementing Transformative Projects (C3.1)
JCP pilots in the CT sector have been “transformative” because they have demonstrated the need for enhanced supply of and demand for clean energy products and services. In year three, these pilots will become individual transformative projects, each with the validated potential to attract major investments, employ significant numbers of Jordanian professionals, and demonstrate the value proposition of clean technologies to other businesses and investors with the potential to scale these projects. The program focuses these transformative interventions across five such projects, as described below.
Solar-Enabled ‘Smart Campus’ (C3.1.1)
JCP is working with the Danish Technological Institute (DTI) to convert the King Hussein Business Park (KHBP) into the region’s first solar-enabled “smart campus.” The DTI team was on hand in Amman at the close of Year Two to kick off a scoping effort that will yield a roadmap for the conversion, including where and when to implement energy efficient and renewable energy solutions and how to leverage information and communications technology and other innovations.
8 USAID JCP QUARTERLY REPORT | APRIL - JUNE 2016
This activity is designed to have a demonstration effect on other businesses and similar “campuses” that can benefit from the reduced costs of implementing clean technology solutions. The high profile of the Business Park and its “residents” makes this demonstration effort an excellent value proposition for USAID.
Smart Campus RFP Undergoing Final Review. An international tender to help transform the King Hussein Business Park into a “smart campus,” complete with solar-enabled energy solutions, was issued during last reporting period with an end-of-April deadline for submission. Interest in the tender, which was developed with JCP technical assistance, was high, and an award is expected soon. This activity, in addition to helping reduce energy costs—and thus drive competitiveness—for the Park and its resident businesses, is intended to have a demonstration effect across Jordan and the region. Bidders vying for the opportunity were on hand to tour the facility in March, assessing the site's readiness for smart photovoltaic canopies—a key component of this transformative effort. The JCP clean tech team as well as staff of the business park fielded questions from representatives of the visiting firms. The award is pending KHBP board approval.
Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (C3.1.2)
JCP’s initial investment in the country’s first-ever electric vehicle charging station garnered attention from both the public and private sectors by: 1) aligning all key government stakeholders around the importance of the initiative and the need to continue refining regulatory frameworks while purchasing their own fleets of electric vehicles (as in the case of GAM); 2) incentivizing car manufacturers like BMW, Renault, and Nissan to make Jordan the first country in the Arab world in which they have rolled out their electric products; and 3) securing commitments from fuel retailers to install electric vehicle charging stations at their retail outlets, a key prerequisite for kickstarting the market. As such, JCP’s work is focused on consolidating and furthering the above gains through the outputs listed below.
Through the efforts of the USAID JCP Supportive Enabling Environment (SEE) team, the Jordanian Energy and Minerals Regulatory Commission (EMRC) in Year Two adopted instructions that will allow for "pooling" renewable energy in Jordan for the very first time. As a result, fuel retailers, among other enterprises, can now generate solar energy at one or more central facility(ies) and feed it into the national grid, allowing them in turn to take an equal amount of electricity from the grid at their stations at no additional cost. With these new instructions, the financial incentives for fuel retailers to participate in Jordan’s electric vehicle initiative are clear, and consequently, so too are the incentives for electric vehicle manufacturers to sell their cars in the country. JCP is currently continuing its work with EMRC to help them draft the regulations needed to guide both private and retail charging stations.
King Attends Launch of Electric Vehicle Fleet. At a private ceremony hosted by the Greater Amman Municipality in April, HRH King Abdullah II attended the launch of a new fleet of electric vehicles to be operated by taxi company Mumayaz. The King stressed the need for innovative transport solutions to cope with the demands of a growing population. JCP has been instrumental in structuring and catalyzing the nascent electric vehicle sector in Jordan, including by erecting the country's first solar-enabled vehicle charging station and pushing through much-needed enabling regulation.
USAID JCP QUARTERLY REPORT | APRIL - JUNE 2016 9
New Regulations Set Rules for Electric Vehicle Charging Stations. In May, Jordan's Energy and Minerals Regulatory Commission (EMRC) issued new instructions allowing ordinary citizens as well as fuel retailers to establish, own, or operate electric vehicle (EV) charging stations licensed by the Commission—a key step to unlocking massive investment in this new sub-sector. JCP assisted the EMRC with developing the EV charging station regulation and, on May 19, held a workshop to build the technical and legal capacity of EMRC staff, who will be overseeing implementation of the new rules. The new EV sub-sector, which has been a signature effort of JCP, is expected to attract an estimated $2 billion in investments in the next decade.
Eco-Industrial Zone (C3.1.3)
Under this activity, JCP will provide the expertise to convert an undeveloped piece of land owned by Al Ahli Bank, which had been planned for an industrial zone near the airport into a green industrial zone. With the assistance of DTI, new specifications and solutions to create the first Eco-Industrial Zone in Jordan will be developed. This will be further supported by the JCP SEE team, which will work to develop the capacity of the Jordan Investment Commission (JIC) to attract green investment and develop green free-zones in the Kingdom.
A JCP impact study, completed this quarter, projected that the program could, by the end of its five- year term, secure $20 million in committed investments for the proposed eco-industrial zone. JCP believes that an eco-industrial zone would build on the momentum already extant in the Kingdom’s green sector. Among the proofs of that momentum is that demand for renewable energy engineers and technicians in Jordan has grown by 25 percent, on average, over the last four years (please see infographic below). Given JCP’s investment in the proposed zone, which is just over $200,000, the projected return on this USAID investment is up to 93X. This number assumes investments committed by the end of JCP’s intervention, including from Al Ahli Bank—the owner of the eco- industrial zone, which has committed to investing 10 percent of the total cost of construction—and future industry residents. The $20 million figure is based on a comparable investment to bring online the similarly-sized Aqaba Industrial Estate.
Ahli Bank Earns Backing of Jordan Investment Commission. In June, the Jordan Investment Commission (JIC) issued a formal letter to Ahli Bank expressing their “great interest” in the eco-industrial zone and encouraging the bank to move forward “expeditiously” with their official application for development zone status. The JIC also noted in their letter that the zone aligned well with their interest in moving to a more “value-added” economy. JCP has been working closely with Ahli Bank to develop Jordan’s first eco-industrial zone. Most recently, JCP guided the process forward by leading the engagement with the JIC and key stakeholders in the industrial sector. JCP’s technical team and consulting partners from Ramboll and DTI held several meetings with JIC to review and discuss the eco-industrial zone concept, market analysis, and vision—all of which led to JIC issuing their supportive letter. JCP’s support for the eco-industrial zone is an essential part of the project’s strategy to improve the competitiveness of Jordanian industry and open new markets for Jordan’s clean tech companies by creating the platform for a "green" industrial zone that can demonstrate value, raise awareness of renewable energy and energy efficient opportunities, and address financial and regulatory issues that pave the way for future investments. (Please see Access to Finance section of this report for more on this activity.)
10 USAID JCP QUARTERLY REPORT | APRIL - JUNE 2016 Solid Waste Management Investment Framework (C3.1.5)
For all intents and purposes, there is no Solid Waste Management (SWM) sub-sector in Jordan (e.g. only two percent of solid waste is recycled). As such, and given the critical environmental need for related products and services, investing in this sub-sector’s creation and development represents an obvious economic opportunity for Jordan as well as a path toward making the country more economically competitive beyond its borders. Therefore, the purpose of this activity is to define specific investment opportunities and enable transactions in the SWM sub-sector while further providing recommendations on private- sector involvement models and needed enablers to roll out such projects.
By stimulating the growth of this clean tech sub-sector, JCP is creating more opportunities for investment at the same time as it is encouraging more effective solutions to this fundamental environmental challenge. The program believes that the concomitant investment of time and staff resources will yield exponential results in the mid- to long-term. Further, of the three clean tech sub-sectors (RE, EE, and SWM), SWM may hold the greatest potential for near-term job creation.
Jordan Green Building Council Hosts Solid Waste Management Awareness Session. As part of JCP's grant to the Jordan Green Building Council to offer Solid Waste Management certification, an awareness session held in April was the first of four planned by the Council, which shared information about the certification program as well as the solid waste management sub-sector more broadly. Thirty- four people attended the session.
Attendees at the Jordan Green Building Council awareness session.
Expanding Clean Energy Markets (C3.2)
If the transformative projects described above are about enhancing the supply of clean energy solutions, the following activities are designed to increase demand for Jordanian products and
USAID JCP QUARTERLY REPORT | APRIL - JUNE 2016 11 services in this sector. JCP’s interventions under this theme focus on increasing both the local deployment of clean energy products and services and their regional export potential.
Increase Local Deployment of Clean Energy Products and Services (C3.2.1)
A JCP awareness campaign launched in Year Two and aimed at factory owners and industrialists in East Amman, where most of the capital's manufacturing is housed, provides industry leaders the tools they need to source, finance, and maintain green technologies—from energy-efficient lighting to photo-voltaic panels. A brochure the program developed for food and plastics manufacturers offers a one-stop checklist for how to "go green" and save "up to 33%" on their energy bills. In Year Three, the program aims to reach more Jordanian businesses with specific value propositions, thus increasing local deployment of clean energy products and services.
By clearly demonstrating the value proposition of clean technology to Jordanian industry, JCP is working to stimulate uptake, supporting the clean tech sector, and reducing costs for a range of businesses, thus enhancing their competitiveness.
Awareness Campaign Awaiting Prime Ministry Approval. A JCP-developed awareness campaign was sent to the Prime Ministry for review and approval. In the meantime, JCP and its short-term technical advisor have met with JREEEF to discuss other, near-term awareness initiatives that could feed into the longer-term strategy.
Increase Regional Export Potential of Clean Energy Products and Services (C3.2.2)
Much as Jordan’s clean energy product and service offerings are wide-ranging and hold the potential to increase growth in the country’s economy, regional competitiveness requires that this sector continuously innovate to develop new markets and attract new customers. This activity, implemented through NERC, is designed to address that need by supporting the center’s product labs and improving its capacity to market the labs’ outputs domestically and, ultimately, regionally.
By investing in an established “incubator” for new clean energy products, JCP will stimulate innovation, thus broadening the range—and potential reach—of the country’s exports in this sector.
Action Plan Presented to NERC. A short-term technical advisor last quarter presented an action plan for this activity to the National Energy Research Center (NERC). NERC may receive some support from the European Union to implement part of the plan, and they may request additional support from JCP. Should NERC receive the anticipated EU funding, JCP will report on the results of their implementation.
Windows of Opportunity (C3.3)
As the Clean Technology sector is a fast-evolving one—with new regulations and private-sector developments happening regularly—JCP believes that it must remain nimble enough to respond to stakeholder needs throughout the workplan period. As such, we include this item as a “placeholder” for discussion with USAID as needed and in consultation with key sector stakeholders, among them relevant ministries and regulatory bodies, business associations, the private sector, and potential beneficiaries of clean tech solutions such as hospitals and universities.
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JCP Partners with EDAMA to Launch Second Certified Energy Manger Training. For the second year in a row, JCP is supporting a group of 10 females working in the field of renewable energy to complete an industry certification aimed at increasing their employability and further improving Jordan’s reputation as an investment destination for clean tech projects. The 12th Certified Energy Manager (CEM) Training Program is being held in partnership with EDAMA. CEM is known to be the most recognized energy certification worldwide. The training aims at enhancing the technological knowledge of those working in the energy field, improving their chances of employment, and equipping them with the right knowledge to improve energy efficiency measures. A recent EDAMA study showed a 25 percent annual increase in demand for renewable energy professionals in Jordan.
Support to iSustain Competition Fosters Innovation in Sustainable Design. The iSustain sustainable design challenge is an A/E Building Council initiative that brings together student, professional and collegiate teams to compete in presenting the most creative and sustainable design solutions to Jordan’s built environment. A Memorandum of Understanding between JCP and A/E Building Council is being developed to support this opportunity to do Jordan-appropriate R&D and document technical know-how for practical use in country. Unique training and skill development is an important part of this challenge, and JCP is supporting the effort by providing funds for highly valued training courses as an award to the winning teams. The project is also developing a promotional video to raise awareness of and drive participation in the competition.
LIFE SCIENCES
Jordan’s pharmaceutical companies export 80 percent of their production to 75 countries worldwide, in addition to supplying 30 percent of all pharmaceuticals sold on the domestic market. In 2013, pharmaceuticals topped the list of Jordan’s largest exports, representing nine percent of the country’s total exports and helping reduce Jordan’s external trade imbalance. At the same time, lagging technological systems—including for the registration of generic drugs produced in the country—and a largely static network of Contract Research Organizations (CROs) threaten to reduce Jordan’s regional market share.
JCP supports interventions on the enterprise level, to cover business, knowledge, and organizational development, and on the other hand, interventions related to the infrastructure and enabling environment on a sectoral level. In other words, the approach for supporting the industry (manufacturers and CROs) should be parallel: at the sectoral development level and the enterprise development level. To assist in unleashing the pharmaceutical sector’s clear potential and mitigate risks to its competitiveness, the following Life Sciences activities are grouped into two themes: 1) Reducing the Time to Market for Drugs and 2) Improving External Market Access.
Reducing the Time to Market for Drugs (C3.4)
As mature as Jordan’s pharmaceutical sector is, it could benefit from “process re-engineering” to make the development, production, and approval of its products more efficient and thus reduce the time it takes to get these products to market.
USAID JCP QUARTERLY REPORT | APRIL - JUNE 2016 13 Streamlining the Drug Registration Process (C3.4.1)
During its first two years, JCP worked with the JFDA to decrease a significant backlog of registrations for generic drugs and worked with both the JFDA and the private sector to improve and streamline the drug registration process. In Year Three, JCP will provide assistance to the industry to improve the regulatory environment for producing and registering drugs, especially for export, by automating the registration process through implementation of an Electronic Common Technical Document system (eCTD) for drug registration.
By procuring, installing, and ensuring the proper usage of an internationally recognized automated system for the registration of drugs, JCP will assist Jordanian pharmaceutical companies to comply with third-country regulatory requirements, thus improving the sector’s competitiveness and export potential. eCTD Group Buying Grant Approved. Last quarter, an approximately $163,000 grant was approved to purchase the aforementioned drug registration software through the Jordan Association of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers (JAPM). JCP will work with the association to ensure that those charged with operating the software are trained accordingly. Further updates on the implementation of this grant will be included in subsequent reports.
Building the Capacity of Pharmaceutical Staff to Efficiently Comply with Regulatory Requirements (C3.4.2)
Even as it works with the JFDA to continue to decrease the backlog of registrations for generic drugs and to improve and streamline the drug registration process, JCP will further expedite and ensure the effectiveness of the eCTD system by training pharmaceutical companies’ Regulatory Affairs Officers in its usage.
Assisting Jordan's Pharma Sector with Intellectual Property Identification, Registration. On May 18, JCP, together with the Jordanian Association of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers (JAPM), wrapped up a two- day workshop aimed at helping pharmaceutical company staff recognize intellectual property and be able to register it. Leveraging intellectual property can help these companies—which, together, represent a net exporting industry—maintain a sustainable competitive advantage in their product development and manufacturing.
Improving Access to International Markets (C3.5)
Although improving its processes is a first step to bolstering the competitiveness of the Jordanian pharmaceutical industry, its key players must also take a proactive approach to developing and accessing new markets.
Identify New Opportunities for Pharmaceutical Companies (C3.5.1)
Beyond the basics required to maintain Jordan’s regional market position in the pharmaceutical sector (e.g. implementation of the eCTD system), the country has several opportunities to boost profitability through drug development, including in biopharmaceuticals and in the production of generics, such as hormones and injectables. Through the Jordanian Association of Pharmaceutical
14 USAID JCP QUARTERLY REPORT | APRIL - JUNE 2016 Manufacturers (JAPM), JCP will work closely with Jordan’s pharmaceutical companies—especially those that are considered mid-tier—to evaluate their current needs and business models and identify business development and expansion opportunities.
By supporting interventions that will lead to launching new products, enhancing market access and visibility, and developing solutions to decrease their total operating costs, JCP will provide a platform for innovation within the bio-pharmaceutical industry, thus enhancing its competitiveness and export potential.
JCP to Assist JAPM with Advocacy Strategy. After ongoing discussions with JAPM leadership, JCP has agreed to provide in-house technical assistance for the development of an advocacy strategy, which in turn will help the association—and, by extension, its members—better understand and target their key audiences. The assistance will be provided by JCP’s communications team, who met with JAPM staff early in the quarter. A draft of the advocacy strategy will be completed during the current quarter.
Participants in the May 18 JCP workshop on intellectual property registration for the pharmaceuticals sector.
Integrate Jordanian Contract Research Organizations into the Global Value Chain (C3.5.2)
CROs support pharmaceutical and biotech firms by conducting clinical trials and bioequivalence studies. As such, these organizations represent a high-value opportunity for investment from international pharmaceutical firms. JCP will work with Jordanian CROs in the coming year to boost their capacity and forge partnerships between them and local hospitals, where the research can be conducted in a controlled and internationally standardized environment.
USAID JCP QUARTERLY REPORT | APRIL - JUNE 2016 15 By strengthening Jordanian CROs, JCP will empower the country’s pharmaceutical industry to move up the value chain and expand beyond generics. Moreover, CROs that become internationally accredited and certified will be able to conduct high-value outsourced research for international pharmaceutical companies. Such work would clearly demonstrate Jordan’s value proposition relative to the international knowledge economy and increase investment by these international firms.
JCP Helping Unlock Investment Potential of Clinical Trials in Jordan. By conducting clinical trials and other studies, Jordanian Contract Research Organizations (CROs) export their services to more than ten countries worldwide, bringing in an estimated $13 million annually to the country and employing around 322 professionals in seven CROs. As part of its efforts to help CROs expand the scale and scope of their activities, JCP this quarter conducted a four-day workshop to familiarize CRO staff with best practices in clinical research project management. The initiative will help Jordanian CROs meet international standards, increasing their marketability and making them potentially valuable partners for global pharmaceutical companies wishing to initiate clinical trials.
Strengthening Dissolution Testing by Contract Research Organizations Increases Investments in Quality Generic Drugs. Dissolution testing, a lab-based trial by which drug manufacturers test how the drug will dissolve into the patient’s body, has emerged as a very important tool in the generic pharmaceutical industry. This crucial indicative test is widely used to identify the quality of generic formulation during the development phase. With the aim of consolidating this tool’s impact on the investments of generic pharmaceutical companies, JCP together with its partner the Jordanian Association of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers (JAPM), in June held a two-day workshop on the development and validation of dissolution methods used for batch release and stability testing. The training, which was implemented by the international organization US Pharmacopeia, targeted scientists, chemists, and those who perform dissolution testing, including lab managers and product/formulation development professionals from Jordanian pharmaceutical companies.
MEDICAL SERVICES
The healthcare sector in Jordan currently employs an estimated 100,000 staff—not including healthcare educators or those working in the pharmaceutical sector. A highly capable network of healthcare providers has helped Jordan position itself as the primary destination for medical tourism in the region and the fifth globally, attracting tens of thousands of foreign patients in 2014 alone. At the same time, Jordan is losing ground to other regional healthcare services providers, such as Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.
To maintain and grow demand for Jordanian healthcare services, both internationally and domestically, and ensure a quality supply of healthcare providers, the following Healthcare Services activities are grouped into two themes: 1) Creating New Demand for Jordanian Healthcare Services and 2) Improving the Quality of the Medical Services Value Chain.
Creating New Demand for Jordanian Healthcare Services (C3.6)
To continue to be a value-added sector and, as important, to absorb the legions of fresh Jordanian graduates in the healthcare professions, the country’s healthcare industry must create new demand
16 USAID JCP QUARTERLY REPORT | APRIL - JUNE 2016 for its services, both internationally (through medical tourism) and domestically (through home healthcare).
Medical Tourism: Identifying New International Demand (C3.6.1)
As a result of JCP’s efforts to build momentum around the medical tourism sector in Jordan—a key element of JCP’s project design and validated by research done by McKinsey in Year One of the program—international organizations such as Minnesota International Medicine (MIM) are taking an interest in the sector. MIM has set-up its operations in the country as a medical tourism facilitator with an estimated $500,000 in FDI. This created the need to address the business licensing required to operate for MIM and others—a requirement which JCP will help address in the coming year by working to develop specific licensing requirements for medical tourism facilitators.
Medical tourism, as noted above, is already a leading source of investment in Jordan, but the sector’s key players must align themselves around a set of common goals and strategies for achieving them. Consolidating the sector in this way will also enable more accurate tracking of its impact on Jordan’s economy—impact which JCP is already helping to achieve.
JCP Adapts Medical Tourism Approach. Jordan's Al Dustor newspaper reported this month that the country's Ministry of Tourism had launched an online medical tourism portal that is the "first of its kind in the Arab world." The announcement came as JCP decided to focus its planned medical tourism grant on "offline" marketing activities proposed by the Private Hospitals Association, the nation's leading advocacy organization for institutional healthcare providers. The proposed grant, which was presented to USAID for approval, would target key overseas markets and aim to boost the number of medical tourists to the country.
Private Hospitals Association Holds Constructive Talks with Prime Minister Hani Mulki on Facilitating the Growth of Medical Tourism. The Private Hospital Association (PHA) Chairman Dr. Fawzi Al- Hammouri and CEO Mr. Abdullah Hindawi met with Prime Minister Mulki in June to discuss issues pertaining to the medical tourism sector and challenges that should be addressed to further increase the sector's competitiveness. PHA is a key stakeholder in the healthcare arena, and they hope to play an important role in the realization of His Majesty's delegation letter to the newly appointed Prime Minister in which he states that "special attention should be given to the medical tourism sector and facilitation should be provided to all related procedures." The project has worked with PHA on several Medical Tourism activities such as the International Medical Tourism Conference in May 2015 and the International Medical Travel Exhibition and Conference in October 2015. The project intends to continue working with PHA on sector policy and regulatory reform issues, and many of these were discussed with the Prime Minister: visa reciprocity and other visa facilitation issues for specific countries, re-engagement on the medical malpractice law, and facilitation of procedures for hospitals to adopt energy pooling initiatives.
Home Healthcare Services: Creating New Domestic Demand (C3.6.2)
In Year Two, JCP explored a pilot project in Irbid for home healthcare (HHC) services, including a re-imbursement pathway that seeks to ensure the sustainability of services in this sector. The pilot will be implemented with at least one hospital in the coming year. In addition, JCP will work with key industry stakeholders, including regulators, providers and associations, through structured focus
USAID JCP QUARTERLY REPORT | APRIL - JUNE 2016 17 groups to identify existing regulations and how they may impact the development of the home healthcare sub-sector.
By jumpstarting a home healthcare sub-sector, JCP will help increase local demand for Jordanian medical services, thus boosting the number of jobs available to new graduates and easing the burden on hospitals and other medical providers—which can in turn boost their competitiveness in the medical tourism space.
Home Healthcare Initiative Prep Work Underway. JCP this quarter began preparatory work for a first- of-its-kind grant to build Jordan's home healthcare sector from the ground up. Partnering with the world-class King Hussein Cancer Center, JCP will support the facility to extend its services to patients who it otherwise cannot accommodate. This, in turn, will improve patient care while reducing costs, freeing up beds at the center for more severe cases as well as international patients traveling to the Kingdom as part of its fledgling medical tourism sector. JCP hosted a public launch this quarter to draw attention to this important activity (please see below).
With King Hussein Cancer Center, USAID Launches National Home Care Initiative. With support from JCP, the King Hussein Cancer Foundation (KHCF) and King Hussein Cancer Center (KHCC) launched a national home care initiative on May 15. The effort, which will be led by KHCC, aims to advance the home care services industry in Jordan by scaling up the Center’s own home and palliative care offerings and creating a center of excellence offering education and training to other service providers. In addition to freeing up bed capacity at Jordanian hospitals, the initiative is expected to create some 1,800 jobs beyond the life of JCP. USAID Mission Director Dr. Jim Barnhart and KHCF Director-General HRH Princess Dina Mired attended the kick-off event, which received positive coverage in local media.
HRH Princess Dina Mired of the King Hussein Cancer Center and JCP Chief of Party Dr. Wissam Rabadi sign a grant agreement to launch a national home care initiative.
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Improve the Quality of the Medical Services Value Chain (C3.7)
Although Jordan’s healthcare providers and facilities enjoy an excellent reputation regionally and continue to attract third- country visitors seeking treatment, much of this interest relies on relationships with individual doctors and treatment centers. In other words, Jordan could benefit from strengthening its “brand” as a center of medical excellence while ensuring that its healthcare professionals are internationally certified to further lend credibility to this brand.
Support Medical Centers of Excellence (C3.7.1)
In its first two years, JCP established partnerships with several leading hospitals and specialty clinics in Amman and beyond and explored several pathways for supporting these institutions. Among these was a proposed Nurse Bridging Program which became less value-added following a government mandate to employ only Jordanian nurses in the country, thus solving the employment gap for fresh graduates. In lieu of this initiative, JCP in Year Three is seeking to establish Medical Centers of Excellence in leading hospitals and specialty clinics to assist them in better identifying their added value to patients as well as better align their hiring targets and management systems.
By assisting leading hospitals and specialty clinics to establish Medical Centers of Excellence, JCP will further distinguish their value proposition to patients, attracting investment and, with it, creating new jobs for qualified professionals (please see “Building the Capacity of Healthcare Professionals” below).
Gardens Hospital Earns ISO Certification. As part of its efforts to help create medical centers of excellence in Jordan, JCP, through a grant, assisted Amman-based Gardens Hospital last quarter to apply for and pass the final audit for the ISO 22000 Food Safety Management System. The new certification lends further credibility to the hospital’s services and contributes to the overall positioning and competitiveness of Jordan’s medical sector region-wide.
Building the Capacity of Healthcare Professionals (C3.7.2)
Following on a JCP gathering of key medical sector stakeholders in Year Two of the program, doctors and health administrators gathered for a half-day session in Amman in May 2015 to discuss options for medical education and training activities and initiatives. The discussion focused, in part, on ways to incorporate technology—including robotics and other high-tech tools—to further the “e-health” agenda in Jordan. Participants also discussed the need to identify new career paths for healthcare graduates—careers that will help fill the demand for specialized caregivers such as paramedics and other first responders. In all cases, the medical services industry needs assistance with prioritizing these education and professional development needs and devising a plan to implement them.
Continuing education efforts for healthcare professionals will both enhance the human resources and reputation of the Jordanian medical services sector, thus attracting more investment and encouraging greater medical tourism; at the same time, developing alternative career paths with university medical programs will diversify and expand the job market for new graduates, thus creating new employment opportunities.
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Nurse Bridging Program Discussions Ongoing. Following a series of exchanges with Al Khalidi Medical Center last quarter regarding a proposed grant to develop a nurse bridging program, the center declined to submit a final application to JCP. This activity is being reconsidered in light of JCP’s year four workplan.
INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY
Jordan’s Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry generates a wealth of human capital, intellectual property (IP), and exports. Creative, vibrant, and well-capitalized, its many start- ups, incubators, and talented professionals can serve as a catalyst for the competitiveness of other Jordanian industries—especially within the Arabic-speaking world.
To assist in the further competitiveness of the ICT sector’s key players—including start-ups and young tech talent—and its innovations, JCP has grouped its Year Three ICT activities into four themes: 1) Access to International Markets, 2) Creating Vertical Domestic Markets, 3) Developing the Creative Design Cluster, and 4) Human Capital Development.
Access to International Markets (C3.8)
Export Development Program (C3.8.1)
JCP is continuing to build and scale its ICT Export Development Program (EDP), which is aimed at increasing Jordanian ICT companies’ export readiness, identifying new markets, facilitating access to new business opportunities and partnerships, and contributing to sector promotion and exposure at the regional and international levels. EDP implementation and administration is being led by the sector association, int@j, which initiated the concept based on industry needs and as detailed in the ICT sector national strategy (2013-2017). JCP will provide the support needed to help int@j merge the program within its organizational key functions and services, explore different mechanisms for sustainability, work on relevant services to enhance the opportunities for business matchmaking, support key complementing activities that may advance the role of the program, and increase the level of companies’ readiness and participation.
Jordan’s ICT solutions are world-class, but the world needs to hear about them. By supporting their engagement with regional and international partners, JCP aims to create specific export opportunities that will generate revenue, create new jobs, and increase the overall competitiveness of the sector.
JCP Facilitates Jordan’s Participation in US Gaming Events. For the first time last quarter, three Jordanian start-ups participated in two major gaming events in the United States—the Game Developers Conference and Game Connection. The companies—Maysalward, Tamatem, and Beelabs—joined JCP’s Export Development Program manager at these events, where the team held scores of meetings with companies and trade associations and secured invitations to host a Jordanian pavilion at other upcoming international gaming events. Maysalward alone, for example, reported meeting more than 120 other company representatives, with approximately 70 of these interested in exploring ways to “localize” their products for Middle Eastern markets. This was the first time that
20 USAID JCP QUARTERLY REPORT | APRIL - JUNE 2016 Jordan’s gaming industry received such high-profile international exposure, and JCP this quarter determined that their efforts have yielded signed deals worth $460,000, representing a more than 14X return on investment.
Creating Vertical Domestic Markets (C3.9)
Given the breadth and depth of its talent pool, the Jordanian ICT sector also enjoys a wealth of opportunity at home—from supporting eHealth initiatives to contributing to the more efficient resolution of public service challenges through the development of innovative handheld or online applications. Identifying and accessing those niche markets will take the integration of ICT into other JCP target sectors as well as expanding a particularly promising ICT sub-sector: Electronics Design and the Internet of Things.
Integration of ICT into Other Sectors (C3.9.1)
The purpose of this activity is to encourage the use of ICT tools and services in the healthcare and CT industries. This, in turn, will enhance the competitiveness of both the ICT companies and sectoral providers and advance opportunities for potential partnerships and linkages that can drive exports and investments. By utilizing ICT solutions as a catalyst for other sectors’ competitiveness, JCP aims to contribute to the creation of new niche areas that can trigger innovation and attract investments.
Oasis 500 Hosts Clean Tech Boot Camp. The leading early stage and seed investment company Oasis 500 in April concluded the first of a series of business boot camps for entrepreneurs of all ages. Short-listed candidates participated in a four-day intensive workshop for potential start-ups in the area of clean and sustainable technologies. This business workshop series is part of the grant awarded by JCP to Oasis 500 to help knowledge economy entrepreneurs learn how to start their businesses, engage them in funding and marketing awareness sessions, and instruct them on how to build their business model and plan. Participants are then asked to submit a full presentation of their projects for a potential funding opportunity by Oasis 500.
Participants in the Oasis 500 clean technology boot camp, the first of several boot camps planned by the JCP grantee.
USAID JCP QUARTERLY REPORT | APRIL - JUNE 2016 21 Oasis 500 Hosts Hardware and Electronics Design Workshop. Also this quarter, Oasis 500 concluded the second of a series of business workshops for entrepreneurs of all ages, this one aimed at fostering new start-ups in the area of hardware and electronics design (please see below for more on JCP’s electronics design work).
Electronics Design for the Internet of Things (C3.9.2)
Year Two marked the launch of JCP’s much-awaited Intel Electronics Design training program, which is a first-of-its kind partnership between USAID and the leading global firm. The initial ideation session, which was held at the King Hussein Business Park, hosted university professors and lab technicians as well as representatives of Intel and Oasis500 for a discussion of potential design projects utilizing Intel’s Galileo board, a powerful piece of hardware that will empower young tech talent to explore innovative solutions to challenges in each of JCP’s key sectors. The ensuing series of workshops generated ideas on how to utilize technology in creating prototypes that serve the new era of the Internet of Things (IoT)—including through wearables, mobile applications, and security. Harnessing this early creative effort and providing business development and fund sourcing support to participants in the Intel training—as well as planned trainings with partners Synopses and Mentor Graphics—is a key aim of JCP’s Year Three ICT activities.
The Intel partnership is supporting Jordanian engineers while empowering them with the internationally recognized skills to attract interest from foreign employers and investors, thus creating opportunities for the entire economy.
USAID-Intel Training Graduates Prepare to Take Their Prototypes to Market. Three graduates of an intensive "Internet of Things" training held in partnership with Intel have gained backing from a medical device manufacturer to take their prototype to market. Last year, the then third-year students joined more than 16 teams in the USAID-supported Intel Development Boards Program to build a Portable Neck Treatment Device, or PNTD, which is designed for patients with herniated disks. The portable physiotherapy device enables a therapist to monitor the patient’s treatment and progress remotely. As the team and their university supervisor refined the product, industry supplier Medical Step offered to support the prototype, reducing the device's production cost by 60 percent. Several dozen such prototypes have emerged from the Intel training, and JCP is working with the inventing teams to seek and secure investment opportunities as well as exposure for their prototypes.
Maker Competition Winner Earns More International Acclaim. JCP in June congratulated Layth Hamad, a graduate from the USAID-supported Intel Galileo Development Boards Program, on winning third place in the global GIST TECH-I competition in Silicon Valley. His project/startup business, ClevG, is based on a gas cylinder safety and tracking device that transfers gas readings online to notify the user when a cylinder is nearly empty. In preparation for this remarkable success, Layth was top prize winner in Jordan’s first-ever Maker Competition last December—a JCP-supported effort that brought together 50 talented programmers from universities throughout Jordan to showcase inventions they developed using Intel's Galileo Board. At the event, participants had a chance to interact with leading experts in the electronics design field, including representatives of Silicon Catalyst and JCP partner Intel.
22 USAID JCP QUARTERLY REPORT | APRIL - JUNE 2016 JCP Helps Other Competition Winner Gain Critical Start-up Funding. Another Jordanian winner at the GIST TECH-I competition was Solar PiezoClean, a joint project between Maher Maymoon and Tala Nasraween. Their firm provides the first-of-its-kind consulting service in the region using information and resources to measure the effect of accumulated dust on PV solar panels. Dust dramatically reduces the efficiency of solar panels, and this information tracking system can reduce that loss by up to 40 percent. JCP is working with this firm to help them raise funding from the angel investor group Jo-Angels. Jo-Angels is the first angel investing group in Jordan and was established by JCP.
Petra University Leverages Intel Program to Become Innovation Hub. Petra University is becoming an innovation hub, and one clear reason is that students there have the IT resources they need to create their ideas. As part of the USAID-supported Intel Galileo Development Boards Program which began in 2015, JCP granted 180 Galileo boards to seven Jordanian Universities to support their ICT practical curricula and electronics labs. The Petra University Innovation Center, known to foster great talent since its establishment in 2012, now works as a knowledge transfer hub— university professors who have completed the Intel Galileo training are now passing on their expertise to software engineers and other IT students in their freshman Students and Teachers from Petra University’s Innovation Center year. But it does not stop there. JCP’s Intel Galileo graduates are now fully-equipped with the know-how to instruct their fellow students on technical aspects of the Galileo technology and more general business skills. Currently, they are working on five different prototypes which are still being upgraded and refined to reach their final form.
Microsoft Academic Accelerator Program Completes Fourth Wave. JCP’s Microsoft Academic Accelerator Program concluded its third wave of classes for this year. To date, more than 140 ICT students and recent graduates have completed this program which equips participants with the knowledge and skills to build world-class Windows applications (please see next page for a testimonial from one of the program’s graduates).
Developing the Creative Design Cluster (C3.10)
This activity attempts to build the foundation for a Creative Design industry in Jordan by providing the needed common facilities and training as well as creating linkages between various players in the current ecosystem (innovators, universities, start-ups, and well-established companies). By supporting a product design FABLAB and Jordan’s digital media and animation industry, JCP will
USAID JCP QUARTERLY REPORT | APRIL - JUNE 2016 23 support innovation hubs that will help distinguish the Jordanian ICT industry, attracting attention— and investment—from international firms and, possibly, venture capitalists.
Product Design and FABLAB (C3.10.1)
In continuation of our support for the King Hussein Business Park’s GROW facility, JCP is also assisting the facility with the establishment of a FABLAB, also known as a multipurpose “Hyper Prototyping and Fabrication Facility.” FABLABs are key pillars in any high-tech innovation ecosystem, offering a space for collaboration and joint research at a scale small enough to be affordable while at the same time yielding demonstrable results. With creative digital segments such as “3D” printing and design growing in importance, a Jordanian FABLAB is seen as crucial to establishing a “one-stop shop” facility that can scale related innovation. JCP is supporting GROW to define potential areas that can drive demand, link with international partners for knowledge transfer and capacity building, facilitate linkages with the ecosystem, and manage supply chains.
By creating a homegrown FABLAB to incubate new ideas and provide the facilities to test them, JCP is laying the groundwork for scaling new Jordanian products, which in turn would attract new investment, create new high-value jobs, and spur exports.
'FABLAB' Awaiting Public Launch. A series of USAID-supported courses implemented by 3D Mena has trained about 420 students, engineers, and entrepreneurs in “additive manufacturing,” addressing 3D scanning and 3D modeling. Meanwhile, the Kingdom's first FABLAB is slated for public launch at the
24 USAID JCP QUARTERLY REPORT | APRIL - JUNE 2016 King Hussein Business Park. The launch will owe, in part, to technical assistance already provided by JCP and its subcontractor DTI.
Digital Media and Animation Industry (C3.10.2)
Similar to its support of the FABLAB concept, JCP has been exploring the possibility of establishing a Media Lab to serve a growing segment under ICT: the “Digital Media” creative segment. Linked to the GROW model in the King Hussein Business Park, the lab is to be a public shared facility that can build a community of developers in the area of digital media, and build the required skills to advance this segment locally. Having such a facility will also expose related startups to new technologies and solutions to advance their businesses and benefit from shared services.
As with the Electronics Design activity described above, this activity is designed to spur the creation of a new sub-sector—one that can attract investment and create jobs while creating synergies between existing ICT firms as part of a new creative space.
Discussions with Key Stakeholders Ongoing. Discussions are ongoing on the feasibility of developing an RFA to facilitate implementation of this activity. In the meantime, JCP continues to coordinate with potential partners Rubicon, Kharabeesh, and MBC on the probable outlines of the proposed RFA. JCP is reconsidering this activity’s next steps in light of its year-four workplan.
Human Capital Development (C3.11)
Even with its talented pool of ICT professionals and newly minted graduates, Jordan could strengthen its workforce further by including more female tech entrepreneurs among its ranks and developing targeted skills straining programs to support emerging niche sub-sectors like Electronics Design.
Young Female Tech Entrepreneurs in the ICT Ecosystem (C3.11.1)
In Year Two, Girls in Tech’s Jordan chapter, with the support of JCP, wrapped up two ten-day “boot camps” that took young female tech entrepreneurs through the start-up process—from ideation to business model generation. Solving real-world challenges, participants learned how to take their ideas from the drawing board to the board room, designing compelling pitches aimed at raising the capital they would need to launch their own businesses. In Year Three, JCP aims to showcase the talents of Girls in Tech participants with an eye to forging connections that will ultimately assist them with seeking financing for their very own start-ups.
Cross-cutting initiatives like Girls in Tech are designed to grow the Jordanian workforce, especially in information and communications technology, by focusing on one of its least leveraged resources: women.
Next Steps in the Girls in Tech Partnership. JCP has received a grant proposal from Girls in Tech to continue its outreach and training efforts with young female tech entrepreneurs in Jordan. The partnership, which would build on earlier work with JCP support, will likely include expanded training focused on business and entrepreneurial skills as well as a target audience to include, not
USAID JCP QUARTERLY REPORT | APRIL - JUNE 2016 25 only recent graduates, but also more experienced female entrepreneurs. JCP is reconsidering this activity’s next steps in light of its year-four workplan.
Skills Standardization Organization (C3.11.2)
Through a grant to ICT sector association Int@j, JCP is supporting a Skills Standardization Organization (SSO) to bridge the gap between ICT firms’ needs and the Jordanian workforce. In Year Three, JCP is assisting the SSO to become fully staffed as well as help customize and maintain ICT occupational standards and employability and build the capacity of the SSO in business development and fundraising, an important element of the activity’s sustainability plan.
The ICT SSO will contribute directly to the continued and sustainable development and growth of the ICT sector in Jordan by seeking to address the skills gap addressed by the private sector. The ICT SSO will fulfill the sector’s talent needs in terms of quality and quantity to enable a sustainable pipeline of talent that is industry ready, thus enhancing the competitiveness of the sector as a whole and creating new high-value job opportunities.
Higher Education Accreditation Council 'Recommends' Occupational Profile. Last quarter, in a written communique, Jordan's Higher Education Accreditation Council encouraged the country's universities to use the aforementioned Occupational Profile, developed with support from JCP, as part of their quality assurance measures. The move means that the profile—which defines the skills most in demand by employers in the ICT sector—will serve as a primary resource for universities as they develop their curricula and seek to maintain their accreditation. JCP is reconsidering this activity’s next steps in light of its year-four workplan.
26 USAID JCP QUARTERLY REPORT | APRIL - JUNE 2016 COMPONENT II: SUPPORTIVE ENABLING ENVIRONMENT
The JCP Supportive Enabling Environment (SEE) team provides policy and regulatory reform support to drive competitiveness, innovation, and trade in JCP’s key sectors as well as build the innovative capacity of the Government of Jordan—particularly its capacity to attract new investments to the country. In addition to the cluster-specific interventions described in the previous section (e.g. support to the electric vehicle initiative through the team’s work with Energy and Mineral Resources Commission), the SEE team is implementing several economy-wide interventions to support Jordan’s ecosystems.
Assist Implementation of Jordan Vision 2025 (C1.1)
During its first two years, JCP extended technical assistance to the Government of Jordan (GoJ) on the preparation of Jordan Vision 2025 (JV25). As the government has recently launched JV25, a detailed action plan is expected to follow suit. The SEE team will be directly involved in supporting the efforts of the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation (MOPIC) and relevant stakeholders on the implementation of the reform initiatives outlined in JV25. Particularly, the SEE team will engage a local expert to work with GoJ, mainly MOPIC, to identify and address the priorities, needs and gaps of MOPIC, as well as other stakeholders to enable them to draw a practical and realistic action plan that will meet its goals.
Consultations on REACH Initiative. JCP this quarter engaged its subcontractor DTI for a multi-day series of consultations with key government and private-sector stakeholders on the REACH initiative. The initiative, which is intended to support the ICT sector, dovetails with many of JCP’s activities in the sector and is part of the government’s long-term economic vision for the country. Based on the consultations, DTI developed three hypothetical scenarios for the initiative and is currently finalizing a master plan for moving the initiative forward.
Support the Jordan Investment Commission (JIC) (C1.2)
The GoJ established the Jordan Investment Commission (JIC) to simplify and unify the legal and administrative framework outputs governing the national investment regime and export promotion. The JIC is a government institution that has a complex mandate to govern all special economic zones in Jordan (except for the Aqaba Special Economic Zone, or ASEZA) as well as promote exports and domestic and foreign investments.
To support JIC in achieving its strategic objectives in these three separate and complementary areas, JCP will provide technical assistance to put in place the needed strategic plans and provide support in their implementation. These policies and strategies will allow JIC to identify clear targets, overcome obstacles to investment, mobilize private investment to the JCP competitive sectors, as well as contribute to ensuring that adequate human and budgetary resources are allocated to
USAID JCP QUARTERLY REPORT | APRIL - JUNE 2016 27 achieving these objectives outlined in the plans towards enhancing sustainable economic development and contributing to job creation.
Further, building on the technical assistance provided to JIC under Year Two, JCP will continue its ongoing support to JIC in preparing the package of draft regulations required under the Investment Law No. 30 for the year 2014. These regulations are needed to develop the body of investment legislations meant to bring transparency and predictability to the national investment climate. The development of the drafts will ensure consolations with the public and private sectors and include awareness sessions. Moreover, JCP will provide assistance to the ad hoc technical committee established by JIC to review and study the draft Non-Jordanian Investment Regulation to attract greater investments to the JCP competitive sectors while meeting international standers for clarity and predictability.
Under this Activity, JCP will also work closely with JIC staff to implement training activities, design and publish marketing material on the Law, its regulations, and the investment incentives. JCP will also build up JIC and other related GoJ bodies’ capacities and capabilities to deal will Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs) as well as for the avoidance and resolution of investment disputes.
Finally, building on the technical assistance provided to JIC in Year Two, JCP will continue its ongoing support to the Investment Window and its automation, as well as the Licensing Guide and the ongoing GoJ efforts to simplify and streamline registration and licensing procedures, especially for Jordan’s competitive sectors.
JCP will provide technical support to a public-private technical committee to be established by JIC that will drive national legal and administrative reforms and manage the updating of the Investment Window Licensing Guide. Under the Investment Law, the Licensing Guide is a legal document that provides clear information to investors and should be followed by the different government authorities in carrying out the registration and licensing procedures of investments in projects and economic activities that benefit from the Investment Window services.
JCP Completes Draft Investment Promotion Strategy. JCP has submitted to the Jordan Investment Commission (JIC) a draft investment promotion strategy, a comprehensive guide to the steps the JIC should take in pursuit of its mandate as well as the corresponding human and budget resources it would need to allocate along the way. The detailed implementation plan capping the strategy reflects the priorities outlined in Jordan Vision 2025, the government’s forward-thinking development strategy. Consistent with this vision, the plan’s recommendations are both specific and bold. Among them, for example, is a plan to restructure the JIC—a move that would better position it to address the challenge of promoting Jordan as an investment destination.
Stakeholder Consultations on Investment Promotion Strategy. Meanwhile, JCP on May 4 brought together key stakeholders from the public and private sectors to discuss the draft investment promotion strategy. The consultation was a key step in developing the strategy prior to its finalization and submission to the investment council for approval.
28 USAID JCP QUARTERLY REPORT | APRIL - JUNE 2016
On May 4, JCP brought together key public- and private-sector stakeholders to solicit feedback on a final draft of Jordan’s investment promotion strategy, a lynchpin of the Jordan Investment Commission’s work.
Enhancing Trade and Fostering IPR Ecosystem in Jordan (C1.3)
JCP will be working on enhancing and fostering the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) ecosystem in Jordan through assisting the GoJ in accession of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). This will entail intensive technical assistance, training and creating public awareness regarding the agreement and its benefits, especially among the various industry sectors. By creating an effective IPR ecosystem, firms will be provided with incentives to invest in quality, creativity, and innovation, which drives productivity and creates prosperity in the knowledge-based economy. Additionally, JCP will provide training to judges and public prosecutors on IP protection enforcement (Trademark, Copyrights and Patents).
Concurrently, the GoJ is considering enhancing trade (and maybe investment) relations with African countries. Many of the traditional regional markets for Jordanian exports (which account for over 50 percent of Jordanian exports) such as Iraq, Yemen and Syria are facing political challenges that are impeding the flow of goods and services to and from these countries. Thus, the GoJ is seeking to establish alternative markets in Africa.
Based on a preliminary study carried-out by the Jordan Chamber of Industry in 2015, it seems that Jordan enjoys positive trade relations with Ethiopia, South Africa, the Ivory Coast, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Kenya. These countries are considered the top trading partners for Jordan in Africa. The Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Supply asked JCP to undertake a study and deeper analysis of these markets to identify specific opportunities of high potential focusing on particular countries, sectors, and products.
Additionally, JCP will provide technical assistance to MoITS to design an industry support program that is consistent with the WTO. In parallel, the GoJ, through the MoITS, requested JCP’s assistance
USAID JCP QUARTERLY REPORT | APRIL - JUNE 2016 29 to provide expertise and technical assistance to identify alternative mechanisms to support the domestic industry in such a way that complies with Jordan’s WTO commitments. The suggested support schemes and mechanisms aim to stimulate private-sector growth and job creation, enhance exports and maximize the capabilities of the industrial sector to overcome existing and future economic challenges.
The Industrial Property Protection Directorate (IPPD) at the MoITS is responsible for the registration of trademarks, patents, industrial designs, models, and integrated circuits mandated with intellectual rights protection under the provisions of the laws. The Directorate also handles all cooperation efforts with international organizations dealing with Intellectual Property. In year two, the SEE team analyzed the process for registering trademarks and patents at the IPPD.
The SEE team is providing technical assistance to IPPD in implementing e-filling system and e- payment to streamline the registration of trademarks and patents. Also JCP will provide IPPD with short-term technical assistance to help in clearing the backlog of trademark applications pending due to the shortage in staff as this is an important and necessary step before installing and implementing an e-filling system.
Advising on Jordan’s Membership in the World Trade Organization. The World Trade Organization (WTO) has granted Jordan a three-year extension, until December 2018, to comply with the WTO’s condition that the country revamp its current export subsidy program. To this end, JCP this quarter completed a preliminary report, "Options for Replacing Export-Contingent Tax Subsidy," investigating options that are consistent with Jordan’s broader economic, fiscal, and developmental needs and that could replace the current export subsidy program. A final draft of the report will be issued following GOJ feedback.
Five Country Reports Finalized Supporting Exports to Africa. Many of the traditional regional markets for Jordanian exports such as Yemen, Iraq, and Syria are effectively closed for business. JCP has been working with Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply (MoITS) to establish alternative markets, especially in Africa. As part of this effort, JCP commissioned an in-depth study of the opportunities in Africa, and in February, JCP, USAID, and leadership from MoITS met to discuss the executive summary of findings from the study. With direction from that meeting, JCP technical consultants did further research which resulted in a series of five country reports describing in detail trade opportunities and “how to” export issues in South Africa, Cote d’Ivoire, Kenya, Ethiopia and Tanzania. JCP is in planning discussions with MoITS about how to best increase uptake of these reports with other ministries, trade organizations, and key business people.
30 USAID JCP QUARTERLY REPORT | APRIL - JUNE 2016 COMPONENT III: WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
The JCP Workforce Development (WFD) team improves Jordanian workforce readiness in the program’s targeted clusters through an approach that strengthens Career Development Centers, establishes Centers of Excellence, and creates internship and training programs—all focused on market needs and competitive growth areas. In addition to the cluster-specific interventions described in the previous section (e.g. support for the ICT Sector Skills Organization), the WFD team plans several economy-wide interventions to support Jordan’s entrepreneurs over the coming year.
Upgrade and Strengthen Career Guidance Offices (CGOs) (C2.1)
During Year Two, JCP helped the King Abdullah II Fund for Development (KAFD) prepare a policy paper that clearly defined the needs, roles, and responsibilities of universities, the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, and KAFD in institutionalizing career guidance services at all 27 accredited Jordanian universities. This resulted in the Higher Education Accreditation Council (HEAC) issuing an amendment to the Higher Education Accreditation Regulation that requires universities to establish a Career Guidance and Alumni Office.
The new regulation will be implemented in three phases, with eight universities required to comply by the end of 2015, nine universities by the end of 2016, and the remainder by the end of 2017. To help implement this new regulation and institutionalize career guidance services at KAFD Career Guidance Offices (CGOs), JCP activities during Year Two focused on developing the framework and the tools to be used by selected partner universities and providing technical assistance to KAFD and KAFD CGOs to implement the proposed service delivery model. This included the development of the Vision, Mission, Objectives, Organizational Structure, Job Descriptions, and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for the KAFD Employability and Entrepreneurship Program (EEP) and KAFD CGOs.
During Year Three, JCP is continuing to upgrade and strengthen KAFD CGOs through: 1) Building the internal capacity of the KAFD EEP and five to eight KAFD CGO personnel in the area of developing and updating Business Plans in addition to enhancing the financial sustainability of the selected CGOs by increasing their self-generated revenues and creating successful business models; 2) Institutionalizing KAFD CGOs’ service delivery and ensuring its continual improvement; and 3) Helping to design and implement monitoring and evaluation (M&E) solutions that provide measurement tools to help derive inputs and track outputs and impacts in a way that will help them assess the efficacy of KAFD CGOs programs and services.
Additionally, JCP is working closely with the Jordan Workforce Development (JWFD) Project to develop and implement a national certification program for career counselors and consequently build the capacity of KAFD CGO career counselors to specifically address women’s needs and offer counseling based on global best practices (for example, understanding women’s lifestyle plans and
USAID JCP QUARTERLY REPORT | APRIL - JUNE 2016 31 which professions allow for balancing of competing priorities) and will provide training for students and hold targeted regional job fairs. JCP will continue to work with the Social Security Corporation and the Ministry of Labor (MoL) to increase women’s awareness about their employment rights and benefits. This latter activity will be implemented through awareness sessions delivered through partner CGOs. A total of five to eight universities will be targeted this year, which will be scaled up during Years Four and Five of the program.
KAFD to Work with 10 New Career Guidance Offices. The King Abdallah II Fund for Development announced this month that ten new Jordanian universities have committed to upgrading their CGOs, an effort that is being supported by JCP. As discussed above, JCP has so far worked with five CGOs to upgrade their staff capacity and better equip them to connect graduating students with fulfilling careers in their chosen fields of study—part of a mandate put forth by Jordan's Higher Education Accreditation Council, which required that universities maintain active CGOs. The requirement followed a sustained advocacy effort by JCP and KAFD.
Career Guidance Offices Review Service Delivery Manual and M&E System. Staff of five universities' CGOs, which were established with support by JCP, gathered this quarter for a multi-day training aimed at reviewing a new service delivery manual and associated monitoring and evaluation system. Intended to build the CGOs' capacity to serve students entering the workforce. The manual and system were both developed with technical assistance from JCP. This activity is being re-evaluated in light of JCP’s year-four workplan.
Support Entrepreneurship Programs (C2.2)
During Year Two, JCP awarded a grant to Luminus for Education and Training to introduce entrepreneurship curricula and/or expand existing offerings to include content on innovation and competitiveness at five Jordanian universities—Jordan University for Science and Technology (JUST), German Jordanian University (GJU), Princess Sumayah University for Technology (PSUT), Hashemite University (HU), and Al-Hussein Bin Talal University (AHU)—with a focus on students with specialties related to JCP’s sectors. Also, JCP supported eight workshops to promote entrepreneurship training to approximately 200 university students and graduates, all with an eye to building entrepreneurship training service offerings of KAFD CGOs. These students were from seven selected partner universities, including Yarmouk University (YU), Al-Albayt University (AABU), and the five universities mentioned above.
A JCP stakeholder analysis validated that although entrepreneurship education is widely available at both the secondary school and higher education levels, standards for such curricula are sometimes lacking as are a focus on competitiveness, innovation, and a clear bridge to the practical application of the curriculum. As such, during Year Three, JCP is supporting several activities that aim at linking students and graduates to the entrepreneurship eco-system, which will include organizing networking events, facilitating mentoring, incubation, and funding services, capitalizing on the existing partnerships with Oasis 500 and Zinc among others, and building new partnerships. The ultimate goal of this is to increase the number of new business entrants into JCP’s target sectors, especially among women, through encouraging students to consider self- employability after graduation and not to rely only on finding job opportunities and being employed.
This activity is being re-evaluated in light of JCP’s year-four workplan.
32 USAID JCP QUARTERLY REPORT | APRIL - JUNE 2016
Institutionalize a National Entrepreneurship and Employment Network (ForUs) (C2.3)
During Year Two, JCP helped KAFD develop content for its planned National Entrepreneurship and Employment Network (ForUs) related to JCP's three sectors, such as short videos promoting positive examples of women in the workplace and on line entrepreneurship tools. JCP also helped KAFD establish a virtual career guidance call center in cooperation with Jordan's National Call Center (NCC) by training call center officers and KAFD staff on the career guidance and the entrepreneurship content of KAFD's ForUs portal. The call center will serve as a virtual career guidance office providing career guidance services to job seekers, entrepreneurs, and students via phone and Skype.
Perhaps most importantly, JCP conducted a study on the current status of ForUs development, identified critical success factors and management decisions that needed to be made for the project to proceed and, eventually, launch. At the time of the study, there were still too many unknowns in their intended approach to help KAFD develop a sustainability model (one of the study's original objectives). The study suggested that further investments by JCP in ForUs content are, at this time, premature. Moreover, KAFD itself is still in the midst of reorganizing and restaffing, including for the key position of team leader for the ForUs initiative. As such, JCP will delay any further investments in ForUs or in helping KAFD address organizational issues related to ForUs until such time as their staffing is complete. KAFD management has set out a clear direction for a ForUs launch and KAFD requests JCPs support in helping to address some of the obstacles they currently face. While KAFD refocuses its ForUs approach, JCP continues its involvement with KAFD because of its role in supporting the university-based career guidance offices, its support for the institutionalization of entrepreneurship curriculum at the university level, and its role as the activity manager for the ForUs portal—a key element of the National Employment Strategy, which has the potential to reach youth throughout the country at a scale that JCP is unlikely to achieve through other means.
'ForUs' Jobs Portal Launched. With support from JCP, KAFD formally launched the country's "ForUs" jobs portal at a public event held under the patronage of King Abdullah II this quarter. The platform will connect employers with job seekers and help acquaint young Jordanians with available opportunities for volunteering, as well as for online and offline training opportunities. JCP assisted in development of the portal by compiling the site’s entrepreneurship content, producing short videos profiling various professions, and providing a short-term consultant to boost KAFD's management capacity ahead of the portal's launch—a key intervention that expedited completion of the project.
Career Fairs on Track for Amman, Irbid, and Aqaba. Following its award of a grant to Akhtaboot, the National Company for Employment Services, to organize three job fairs in Jordan's northern, southern, and central regions, JCP mobilized this quarter to organize a kick-off meeting with the grantee, mapping out next steps and ensuring that branding and other guidelines are clear. The job fairs, scheduled for August, September, and November (in Irbid, Amman, and Aqaba, respectively), will focus on JCP's target knowledge-economy sectors and assist in the outreach aims of the ForUs portal. The career fairs are projected to yield between 600 and 1,500 new jobs.
USAID JCP QUARTERLY REPORT | APRIL - JUNE 2016 33 Support Internship Programs (C2.4)
The WFD team launched a pilot internship program during Year One, targeting undergraduate students in their final year of study and recent graduates, as a first step towards implementing an internship program that will target students at all university levels throughout Jordan. Through this pilot program, USAID JCP supported 11 interns, divided between undergraduates and recent graduates, and matched them with internships in industry associations in all three USAID JCP key sectors. Interns were recruited from three partner universities (JUST, GJU, and PSUT). Both the interns and the host organizations provided feedback at the end of the internship, helping the WFD team test the implementation of the program on the above two student segments, and shaping the team’s approach to scaling-up through the university-based KAFD CGOs in future years.
During Year Two, JCP awarded a grant to Jordan Education for Employment (JEFE) to implement a two-year internship program that meets the needs of JCP’s target sectors. Through this grant, JCP aims to place 750 interns (500 in Year Three and 250 in the following year). Also, JCP and the WFD Program will work to develop and support more effective internship programs by utilizing the expertise of WFD partner resources such as the Education Development Center (a U.S. not-for- profit organization).
JCP Grantee Prepares Youth for Jobs in the Knowledge Economy. JEFE this quarter kicked off another round of the three-day training of ICT graduates who seek to widen their knowledge in areas like problem solving, critical thinking, and other practical business skills. This latest class began on June 12 and was held in Amman. These “soft skills,” along with ICT technical training, are part of the project’s plan to train and provide job placement for 750 graduates in the knowledge economy sectors of Clean Technology, ICT, and Healthcare and Life Sciences. The program is designed with employment as its goal, and provides qualified participants internship opportunities that are relevant to their area of expertise.
This activity is being re-evaluated in light of JCP’s year-four workplan.
34 USAID JCP QUARTERLY REPORT | APRIL - JUNE 2016 COMPONENT IV: ACCESS TO FINANCE
The JCP Access to Finance (A2F) team increases access to finance for Jordanian businesses and entrepreneurs by creating awareness of available financing, developing programs to build capacity of firms to offer and access financing, and supporting the development of innovative public-private partnerships and angel investment networks to create new market financing. In addition to the cluster-specific interventions described in the previous section (e.g. support to the proposed eco- industrial zone through the team’s work with Al Ahli Bank), the A2F team is conducting several economy-wide interventions to support Jordan’s enterprises.
Before we summarize these interventions over the past quarter, the following is a highlight of a cluster-specific Access to Finance activity during this reporting period.
JCP Partner Jordan Ahli Bank to Launch Clean Tech Financing Product in July. Jordan Ahli Bank (JAB) finalized plans this quarter for a multi-city public launch of its clean-tech financing product. The loan products were developed and institutionalized over the past year with technical assistance from JCP, and there will be a launch event on July 17 in Amman. The event will highlight JCP’s and JAB’s partnership on this effort and encourage the business people present to consider getting loans for projects to make them more energy-efficient. JCP will also assist in launching the product in Aqaba, Irbid, and Zarqa. Invitees are slated to include the bank's current customers, whose portfolios could potentially include the new product. The event will cap a sustained JCP effort to assist the bank with developing this innovative product, which has also attracted interest from other banks. JCP is currently in discussion with these banks.
Building the Capacity and Enterprise Readiness of Start-Ups and Mature SMEs to Grow (C4.1)
Enterprise Readiness for Growth activities involve identifying and building the capacity of start-ups as well as more mature SMEs with high growth potential and demonstrated early-stage business success, but that face core institutional barriers to achieving scale. Start-ups and SMEs share many barriers—lack of financial planning and capital raising capabilities, inefficient internal human capital utilization, immature governance structures, and limited strategic planning capabilities. Start-ups additionally often face barriers related to early product development, testing, launch, and placement.
For more mature SMEs, JCP is focusing on conducting more pilots of the SME Growth Readiness Program (GRP) launched in Year Two. For start-ups, JCP is supporting existing Jordanian accelerators and incubators, while also identifying and supporting new business models and programs that strengthen Jordanian start-ups. Start-up investment readiness activities include identifying and helping establish value-added international partners. The overall focus of these activities is to identify and build the capacity of local accelerators, incubators, and other similar partners.
JCP is also exploring partnering with leading IT companies to leverage technology to scale up the program and certify local service providers to continue delivering the program beyond JCP. In
USAID JCP QUARTERLY REPORT | APRIL - JUNE 2016 35 addition, JCP will capitalize on the GRP to help leading banks (Capital Bank, Al Ahli Bank, Etihad Bank, etc.) in Jordan increase the amount of credit extended to SMEs—a much needed element for their growth.
Exploring Next Iteration of SME Growth Readiness Program. Beginning in August 2015, JCP and the American University of Beirut (AUB) implemented the Growth Readiness Program (GRP) to equip managers from 12 Jordanian SMEs with the key concepts, tools, and frameworks crucial to scale their businesses. Last quarter, JCP began laying the groundwork for the next phase of the GRP, including by considering options for scaling the program by offering it online. JCP is reconsidering this activity as part of its year-four workplan.
Supporting Angel Investors, Crowd Funding, and Social Funds (C4.2)
JCP is leveraging its work supporting the establishment of a new angel investor group (and the related transaction and deal origination services to that group) in Year Two to support a wider set of activities that strengthen the capacity of those investors into early-stage companies. JCP’s activities again support smaller-sized investments (angel investors and crowdfunding platforms), but also extends to larger-sized investments (via formally-structured fund managers and structured finance). In this way, JCP provides the largest impact in terms of access to equity, quasi-equity and debt financing for start-ups and SMEs. To date, JCP has worked with Oasis500 and KAFD to help structure a Creative Industries Fund with registered capital of just over 4 million JOD. More on the activities of this fund will be included as they develop.
Jo-Angels Investor Network Registers as Independent Entity. The angel investor network established by JCP announced this quarter that it had registered as an independent Jordanian entity. The milestone allows the network, known as Jo-Angels, to apply for a grant from JCP, which developed the new organization's brand and draft website. With support from JCP, the network has received some 55 "deals" from Jordanian businesses looking for seed funding for their ventures. The group of 12 angel investors has been screening for the brightest business ideas since July of last year.
Development of an Online Movable Collateral Registry and Credit Bureau (C4.3)
JCP is supporting the launch of an Online Movable Collateral Registry System (Registry System) in partnership with International Finance Corporation (IFC, a member of the World Bank). The IFC’s regional collateral registry/secured transaction team will provide technical assistance on the activity. This launch would establish Jordan’s first such Registry System, to be owned and managed by the government. The Registry System would be online and would reference (and have application to) Jordan’s existing “Law on Financial Leasing” (2008). In the near future, the online registry would also reference Jordan’s proposed new “Law on Secured Transaction.”
This activity was initiated in Year Two and will finish in Year Three with any remaining implementation and post-launch awareness and technical assistance initiatives supported by JCP. The stakeholders for these initiatives specifically include the Ministry of Industry Trade and Supply (MoITS), the owner and manager of the Registry, as well as Jordanian banks and leasing companies. JCP’s technical partner to support the launch is the IFC. JCP engaged an international software vendor to implement the required software at the Ministry and also provided technical assistance in the form of a short-term technical consultant to help the Ministry utilize and maintain the Registry, including customer service issues.
36 USAID JCP QUARTERLY REPORT | APRIL - JUNE 2016 The Year Two launch has established Jordan’s first such Movable Collateral Registry. The Registry launched referencing Jordan’s existing Leasing Law. In the future, the online registry would also reference Jordan’s proposed new Secured Transaction Law. Establishment of the online registry would create impact by improving SME access to lower-cost debt financing from banks and specialized leasing companies, and contribute to a stronger regulatory environment for doing business in Jordan. The registry would also create a demonstration effect in Jordan’s capital markets: successful launch and utilization of the online registry should give confidence to financial institutions and the public sector and thus facilitate increased development of wider forms of asset-backed financing when the new Secured Transaction Law is enacted.The IFC has worked closely with the Central Bank of Jordan to establish a full-scale credit bureau. A private company has been selected to assume the role of the credit bureau, and implementation with participating banks and financial institutions will happen during the next year. JCP will monitor the progress made and be ready to assist on an as-needed basis. Together, the Movable Collateral Registry and the credit bureau will greatly improve the information available to lenders to make credit decisions, resulting in increased financing for SMEs.
JCP Continues Work on Online Movable Collateral Registry. This quarter, JCP continued working with the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply to define the different functions, features, and technical aspects of its Online Collateral Registry System. The collateral registry system is a central database that registers collateral with the aim of easing access to finance for Jordanian SMEs. Consistent with JCP’s mandate to facilitate more access to financing opportunities for Jordanian SMEs, the program has been working with key stakeholders involved in the development of Jordan's collateral registry to design the application according to these stakeholders' needs. These include the IT and Central Registry Departments of the Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Supply as well as the National Information and Technology Center. JCP estimates that the registry could free up capital estimated to total in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
USAID JCP QUARTERLY REPORT | APRIL - JUNE 2016 37 CROSS-CUTTING ACTIVITIES
In addition to its Cluster and Component activities, JCP engages in cross-cutting activities related to gender, innovation, and the Jordanian diaspora—all meant to enhance the supply and demand of competitive Jordanian professionals, products, and services.
Gender
As detailed above, JCP has received a grant proposal from Girls in Tech to continue its outreach and training efforts with young female tech entrepreneurs in Jordan. The partnership, which would build on earlier work with JCP support, will include expanded training focused on business and entrepreneurial skills as well as a target audience to include, not only recent graduates, but also more experienced female entrepreneurs. More on the outcomes of the grant application will be included in subsequent reports and in-person updates to our Contracting Officer’s Representative.
Innovation
GROW. The USAID-supported GROW facility, a development platform for local freelancers, entrepreneurs, and starts-ups housed at the King Hussein Business Park, reached full occupancy last quarter, marking a major milestone for this vibrant business hub. JCP was instrumental in setting up GROW, including through its participation in the facility's founding committee. The facility offers communal workspaces, small offices for start-ups with 3-18 employees, and larger offices accommodating 30-100 employees. iPARK. JCP’s grant to iPARK, the Jordanian business incubator, has begun to yield quantitative results. The grant has thus far generated 95 jobs, of which 25 of these have gone to females. The aggregate number represents nearly all of the grant’s year-one target of 100 jobs. The incubator continues to support the Technology Transfer Units at the University of Jordan, Petra University, German Jordan University, and Jordan University for Science and Technology, raising awareness of their efforts, working on intellectual property issues with the US Patent and Trade Office, and conducting innovation assessments.
Diaspora Engagement
To harness the energy of Jordanian talent abroad, JCP organized a network (connect.jo) of key influential technology executives and entrepreneurs among the Jordanian diaspora in the United States to help bring smart investment, knowledge, and market access to firms and universities in Jordan. JCP was instrumental in organizing a meeting for the group with His Majesty King Abdullah II during his trip to Silicon Valley in May 2014.
JCP’s diaspora engagement work in Year Three includes institutionalization of the network’s governance and activities as well its growth into other countries and more substantive engagements. At a minimum, the network aims to register as a non-profit organization in the United States, where its members can begin a deliberative process to expand their ranks into other countries, establish internship and mentorship programs for budding entrepreneurs, and generate five ideas for impact- driven engagements or projects per network member—ideas designed to generate jobs, attract investment, or boost exports for Jordan.
38 USAID JCP QUARTERLY REPORT | APRIL - JUNE 2016
The connect.jo network of Jordanian professionals this quarter received a US tax identification number, marking the first step to obtaining 501(C)(3) status as a non-profit independent organization in the United States. This Internal Revenue Service designation will allow the network to fundraise independently, thus ensuring its sustainability. Pre-requisites to this designation include establishing a board and a set of by-laws—steps that JCP will be reporting on as they come online in the coming months.
USAID JCP QUARTERLY REPORT | APRIL - JUNE 2016 39 OPERATIONS
The JCP Operations Team oversees the project’s Human Resources, Finance, Procurement, IT, and Grants functions. While all of these functions are critical to JCP’s success, the Grants activities have a particular strategic value because they are a key mechanism through which programmatic activities are implemented. As such, the Grants team is focusing on processing concept notes and grants in the pipeline that were received during Year Two and ensure they are processed in a timely manner.
Grants
JCP includes detailed updates of current and pending grants in its monthly reports. The following table offers a snapshot of grant commitments and disbursements as of June 30, 2016:
Description USD % Comments 1. Total JCP Grant 5,500,000 Total Grants Pool Fund 2. % of Total 3,410,199 62.00% Total committed / Total Grants Pool Committed 3. % of Committed 1,100,572 32.27% Disbursed (Closed) + Disbursed (Active) / Total Disbursed Committed 4. % of Total 1,100,572 20.00% Disbursed (Closed) + Disbursed (Active) / Total Disbursed Grants Pool 5. Remaining 2,309,627 67.73% Total Committed – Total Disbursed Balance - (USD3,410,199 USD1,100,572) Committed 6. Remaining 2,089,801 38.00% Total Grants Pool – Total Committed Balance – Grants (USD5,500,000 – USD3,410,199) Pool
40 USAID JCP QUARTERLY REPORT | APRIL - JUNE 2016 Personnel
JCP provides full staffing updates in its monthly reports. In the meantime, the table below shows short-term consultants engaged as of June 30, 2016:
Consultant USN/CCN/TCN Position Component Period of Performance Name Jansette Quandour CCN Local World Trade Organization SEE Team, JSF support 16 Dec 15 – 29 Sept 16 (WTO) and Industry Support STTA Zaid Ayoub USN Expat Network Advisor R&D, Diaspora 1 Oct 15 – 30 Dec. 16 Rania Hendawi CCN Legal Expert in the area of Renewable SEE / CT 6 Oct 15 – 31 Oct 16 Energy Hussam Al-Asmar CCN Marketing and Awareness Specialist CT / ATF 8 Feb 15 – 30 Sept. 16 Niels Nielson USN Senior Technical Advisor Cross Cutting 15 Mar 15 – 30 Sept 16 Christopher Pratt USN IP Advisor SEE Oct. 2015 – Sept 2016 Ahlam Shabana CCN Impact Assessment Expert M&E 04 Oct. 15 – 14 Jun 16 Tamam Mango CCN Impact Assessment Expert M&E 04 Oct. 15 – 14 Jun 16 Samer Qubain CCN Project Coordinator / MOITS ATF 01 Dec 15 – 31 Aug 16 John Magnus USN WTO and Industry Support SEE 1 Dec 15 – 29 Sept 16 Danijela Kostic TCN Information Technology Support DCOP 1 Sept. 15 – 1 Sept. 18 Advisor Musharraf Cyan TCN Economic and Tax Policy SEE 1 Dec 15 – 29 Sept 16 Abed Shamlawi CCN Senior ICT Expert ICT 19 Jan 16 – 31 Aug 16 Jamil AlKhatib CCN Microsoft Trainer ICT 15 Jun 16 – 19 Sept 16 Rob Dressen USN Access to Finance Expert ATF 1 Mar 16 – 30 Dec 16 Abdullatif Abu CCV Microsoft Trainer ICT 3 Jul 16 – 19 Sept 16 AlRub Luis Abu Ghattas TCN Foreign Patients Study M&E 14 Mar 16 – 1 Jul 16 Atta Elayyan TCN Microsoft Trainer ICT 6 Mar 16 – 15 May 16
USAID JCP QUARTERLY REPORT | APRIL - JUNE 2016 41 Daniel Shaul USN HR Expert with focus on PMU 15 Mar 16 – 31 Jul 16 Organizational Structuring Maen Jalamdeh USN Finance/Administration Advisor for JIC SEE 6 Mar 16 – 6 Jun 16 Eric Morfin USN International Clinical Research PMP Pharma 17 Mar 16 – 30 Sept 16 Consultant Jansette Quandour CCN PCT Accession Impact Assessment and SEE Team 20 Apr 16 – 30 Aug 16 Developing Awareness Material (content) Firas Alawneh CCN Clean Energy Consultant CT Team 19 May 16 – 30 Sept 16 William Tomas USN Strategic Communications Consultant Communications 15 Oct 15 – 31 Jul 16 Mustafa Al-Adarbeh CCB Microsoft Trainer ICT 24 Jul 16 – 11 Aug 16
42 USAID JCP QUARTERLY REPORT | APRIL - JUNE 2016 PROCUREMENT
Below is an updated status for RFPs/RFQs under progress as of June 30, 2016.
SR# RFP/RFQ # Activity Description Status Estimated Price 1 RFP No. JCP- Enhance and Expand the Negotiations with the 50,000 JOD Amman 2016- Licensing Manual for the offerors in the 008 Operation of the competitiveness range Investment Window at were completed on the Jordan Investment June 19. Technical Commission evaluation for the revised proposals and selection decision were completed on June 26, 2017. Under the process for obtaining HO approval 2 RFP No. JCP- Support for Clean Tech Sub-contract signed and 33,900 JOD Amman 2016- Training and Certification effective May 22, 2016 010 for Jordanian Women. Sole supplier to EDAMA 3 RFP No. JCP- Pharmaceutical Sub-contract signed and 68,012 JOD Amman 2016- regulatory and technical effective May 24, 2016 015 consultation services. Sole supplier to JAPM
4 RFP No. JCP- Implementation of the Technical evaluation 25,000 JOD Amman 2016- second round of JCP completed. Negotiation 014 Competitiveness Index and selection decision were completed. Under the process for obtaining HO approval 5 Growth Readiness Cancelled by the JCP $270,000 JOD Services for JCP’s Pilot management “Small & Medium Enterprises (SME) Growth Readiness Program ( GRP2) 6 RFP No. JCP- Contract Research RFP Issued in May 10, 135,000 JOD Amman 2016- Organizations GCP/GLP 2016. Deadline for 024 Compliance Audits receiving proposals June 14, 2016. No proposals were received. waiting to receive the requester decision 7 Soft Skills Training for The process stopped by recent graduates enrolled JCP management employment program supported by Ministry of Labor (MOL)
USAID JCP QUARTERLY REPORT | APRIL - JUNE 2016 43 KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
Please see attached file.
44 USAID JCP QUARTERLY REPORT | APRIL - JUNE 2016
CHAPTER VI: PROCUREMENT
USAID Jordan Competitiveness Program King Hussein Business Park
Building 3, GF, Amman, Jordan
www.JCP-jordan.org
USAID JCP QUARTERLY REPORT | APRIL - JUNE 2016 45