AMMAN — The Jordanian government signed on Tuesday five financing agreements (grants) with the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) worth $176 million as part of the Saudi $1.25 billion-commitment within the Gulf Cooperation Council's (GCC) $5 billion grant to finance development projects in Jordan. The agreements were signed by the Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Ibrahim Saif and SFD's Vice Chairman and Managing Director Yousef Ibrahim Al-Bassam in the presence of Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour and senior officials from both sides. The agreements included establishing and equipping Princess Basma Hospital in the northern governorate of Irbid, at a cost of $70 million, establishing food and medicine laboratories worth $6 million, a radiotherapy center for $12 million, rehabilitation and maintenance of the King Hussein Medical City worth $37 million, and the expansion project of the King Hussein Cancer Center (KHCC) at the cost of $52 million. In a speech at the signing ceremony, Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour said "this is a blessed moment that we meet again in implementation of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques' grant to help the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in its development projects." Ensour pointed out that Jordan gave Saudi Arabia a list of development projects in different sectors and fields, including infrastructure, humanitarian projects, education, medicine, engineering, roads and railways. The Saudi Fund top official said these agreements were aimed at the development of health services in the public sector, in addition to the projects implemented by the Jordanian government. These projects, he added, will have a significant impact on services being provided to Jordanians and will contribute to improving their standard of living and well-being. "The projects will also support the national economy and the development of infrastructure and will result in raising the level of health services, meeting the needs of modern medicine and raising food and drug laboratories' standards," the Saudi official said. The Planning minister stressed the importance of the Saudi support to help Jordan face economic and financial challenges, which also enabled the Kingdom to continue the implementation of priority development projects and provide an advanced level of services to its citizens and residents. — Petra
