$100 Million Loan MoUs Signed by Jordan and Japan

Amman — Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) were signed between Jordan and Japan on Monday, according to the Jordanian News Agency (Petra). The Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, Nasser Shraideh, signed the MoUs on behalf of Jordan while Japan’s Ambassador to Jordan, Shimazaki Kaoru, and JICA’s Chief Representative in Amman, Chie Miyahara, were signed on behalf of Japan.

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) provides a $100 million loan to support the general budget, address economic and development challenges, and enhance social protection.

A ministry statement said the signed loan is part of a total loan of $300 million, which was asked from the Japanese government to support the budget, following the London Conference to Support Jordan, held in 2019.

Shraideh emphasized that this loan is the fifth that has been provided by the Japanese government as direct support to the general budget since 2014 to contribute to covering expenditures of the general budget, in addition to a loan provided in 2012 to support capital projects in the general budget, which comes as emergency support to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic in Jordan, with eased financial terms, within the package of mitigating measures approved by the Cabinet.

The Japanese envoy expressed his hope that the new loan would support the Jordanian government’s development efforts and help in early recovery from the economic impact of the pandemic on the Kingdom.