The “Bhimitkom” program, implemented by the Jordan Enterprise Development Corporation (JEDCO) in partnership with the King Abdullah II Fund for Development (KAFD), has concluded its activities after providing technical and financial support to 49 pioneering projects. Out of these, 43 projects have been fully completed, while 6 are under implementation across various governorates of the Kingdom.
The program was aimed at building the capacities of youth in developing business plans necessary to transform their ideas into economic ventures and providing support for their implementation, thereby encouraging self-employment initiatives. In the outcome, the plan generated 258 direct and indirect permanent and temporary employment opportunities. It also developed the productive and operational capabilities of these entrepreneurial projects' owners to achieve the elements of sustainability required.
The projects were distributed across the regions of the Kingdom, with 28% in the northern region, 35% in the central, and the largest proportion, 37%, in the south. Notably, females constituted 53% of the project owners who received support, compared to 47% of males.
The nature of these projects varied to encompass different sectors. Support was extended to 10 industrial, 13 agricultural, 16 service, and 4 craftsmanship projects.
Targeting young entrepreneurial ventures, the program encouraged the entrepreneurial spirit and business leadership among Jordanian youth by providing technical and financial support to a segment of young people, assisting them to commence their economic self-employment projects. This, in turn, is aimed at achieving a sustainable return contributing to the national goals of creating new opportunities in the business environment, enhancing its development, and boosting its competitiveness in the local market. It also supports national efforts to reduce unemployment rates and combat poverty.
The program provided financial support to youth projects in the form of grants for each venture, with the owner contributing 10% of the total value to ensure its continuity. From the 2,070 applications received from all governorates of the Kingdom, 126 projects qualified for the presentation stage before the winning projects were selected by a specialized technical committee from both partners.
Last year, JEDCO launched the “Bhimitkom” program in partnership with KAFD, with the financial support reaching approximately JD250,000.