Amman, Aug 9 (Petra) — Jordan ranked first in the Middle East in the industrial sector’s contribution to GDP, according to the United Nations Industrial Development Organization’s (UNIDO) Competitive Industrial Performance Index (CIP) for 2024, Amman Chamber of Industry President Fathi Jaghbeer said on Saturday.

This underscores the strength of the national industry and its ability to lead sustainable growth in line with the Economic Modernization Vision’s goals, he told the chamber’s annual meeting on Wednesday.

National exports to over 145 world countries recorded historical levels of about JD8.6 billion in 2024, said Jaghbeer. The industrial sector’s contributions to the national economy exceeded 25.7 percent, with an added value of over JD7.6 billion, underlining its pivotal role in growth, he added.

However, the national industry still faces many hurdles that hinder its growth to meet the Economic Modernization Vision’s goals as the sector is entrusted with nearly a third of these goals, including stimulating growth, creating job opportunities, and attracting investment, he said.

Top of the challenges, he pointed out, are rising operating costs, i.e. energy costs, raw material prices, and shipping and transportation costs, which weaken the competitiveness of local products. Production cost differences between Jordanian industry and its competitors, both in the local and export markets, reached approximately 25 percent, a key obstacle to compete and expand, he explained.

//Petra//SS
09/08/2025 16:07:34