The second day of the Investment and Partnership Conference between Municipalities and the Private Sector, which is organized by the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Municipal Support Program and the International Republican Institute (IRI), in partnership with the Ministry of Local Administration and the Cities and Villages Development Bank, has kicked off earlier on Saturday. The sessions brought together Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Local Administration Tawfiq Krishan, representatives of USAID Jordan, officials of USAID’s Municipal Support Program and the IRI, in addition to heads and representatives of 39 municipalities, officials and specialists from official bodies and private companies that partner with municipalities. “The time has come for municipalities to join hands with the private sector to establish joint projects,” Krishan said during a session, pointing out that this step would boost municipalities and offer them an advantage by unifying their assets and efforts in establishing investment projects. Secretary General of the Ministry of Local Administration for Technical Affairs Hussein Muhaidat said the private sector, in partnership with municipalities, can establish investment and development projects in various areas of the Kingdom, adding that these projects will generate job opportunities for youth, women and people with disabilities, improve services and cut financial costs. The USAID’s $40-million five-year Municipal Support Program aims at supporting and empowering municipalities and the Ministry of Local Administration in Jordan in various technical and financial fields, while the IRI works with 35 municipalities toward a similar end.
Source: Jordan News Agency