Jordan ranks 6th in potentials to attract FDI:UN report
25/9/2008 17:10
A UN report ranked Jordan 6th in potentials to attract foreign direct
investments(FDI) out of 142 countries in 2007, local daily The Jordan Times
reported.
In the inward FDI index, Jordan was preceded by Hong Kong,
Bulgaria, Iceland, Malta and the Bahamas, Jordan Investment Board (JIB) CEO Maen
Nsour quoted the 2008 World Investment Report issued by the United Nations
Conference on Trade and Development ( UNCTAD).
The increase in FDI flows in
Jordan was attributed partially to the country's political commitment and policy
development. The government has been carrying out a successful privatization
program launched in 1996, the report said.
It also indicated that the upward
trend in FDI flows to Jordan and the rest of the West Asian countries is
expected to continue in 2008, driven by high gross domestic product growth
forecast at over 5 percent and ongoing economic reforms and high oil
prices.
"This report is very important for investors as it provides them with
a comparative study of all countries and their potentials regarding investment
attraction. It is an indispensable source for investors when taking decisions
where to start their investments," Nsour said.
To further attract investments
and enhance the investment environment in Jordan, Nsour said the JIB is
currently finalizing the country's national investment strategy that seeks to
bolster Jordan's status on the investment and business map.
Jordan has kept
the upward trend in this ranking since the early 1990s. Between 1993 and 1995,
Jordan ranked 132, while between 2002 to 2004 it ranked 46th.
In the UNCTAD's
report for the year 2005, Jordan ranked 13th, while in the 2006 report it was
placed 7th, according to the official.
Xinhua
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