US, Jordan sign $600m grant deal

AMMAN, July 17, (KUNA): The Jordanian and US governments inked on Saturday an agreement to transfer the first trunch of USD 600 million in direct cash support to the Jordanian treasury, earmarked for financing priority development projects and supporting economic recovery.

The agreement was signed by the Jordanian Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Nasser Al-Shraideh and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission Director Sherry Carlin, a statement by the Jordanian Ministry of Planning said.

The first trunch of the US cash grant for the year 2021, with a total value of USD 845 million, comes as part of the US economic assistance program for Jordan’s government in 2021, according to the statement.

The grant will contribute to supporting priority development projects within the sectors of public finance, water, education, health, public works, housing, energy, tourism and others, the statement quoted AlShraideh as saying.

The second payment, worth USD 245 million, will be transferred to the treasury account before the end of this year.

Meanwhile, the statement quoted Carlin as saying that the early transfer of the direct cash support grant reflects the continued commitment of the government and US’ people to helping the Jordanian government achieve a stable and prosperous future nationwide.

According to Jordan’s official data, the total value of economic and military aid expected to be provided by the US to Jordan during the year 2021 is about USD 1.65 billion, of which USD 1.12 billion is economic aid.