Aqaba Special Economic Zone

**[Summary]{.underline}**

The Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) is designed to
simplify all procedures, licenses and approvals enabling the Authority -
from one single location in Aqaba - to facilitate investors to set up
and operate a business. Six ministerial-level Commissioners, each
responsible for a major area of regulatory or operational activity,
govern the ASEZA.

ASEZA aims to provide:

\- A one-stop investment center that serves as a single point of
decision making that will facilitate business startup and smooth
operation;

\- A package of streamlined investment and operating procedures,
including simplified business registration and licensing;

\- A model approach to environmentally sustainable development and
governance;

\- A world-class business environment that maximizes private sector
participation in duty-free, tax-advantaged and flexible regulatory
operations system.

Aqaba is becoming a competitive international investment location
through maintaining a streamlined investment environment and encouraging
private sector participation in all aspects of the zone's development
and operations. This ensures the provision of world-class infrastructure
and services to Aqaba's investors, residents and visitors.

Opportunities for U.S. investors lay in three main sectors, Tourism,
Services and Industry.

# Tourism

Aqaba possesses several of the key factors that make it an attractive
location for tourism investment, including low land and construction
costs, an international airport and a seaport.

The following is a list of possible investment areas. While this list is
not exhaustive, it is indicative of the areas in which Aqaba would have
a comparative advantage:

-   Three, four and five star hotels and resorts

-   Timeshare condominiums

-   Appartelles

-   Theme and leisure parks

-   Golf courses, marinas and cruises

-   Duty-free shopping malls and Souks

-   Retirement villages

-   Exhibitions and convention centers

## 

Aqaba has many projects in the pipeline for the coming 10 years such as
Aqaba Lagoon Tourism Site (LAGOON), Tala Bay Resort, Aqaba City Center
and many others.

# 

# Services

The following is a list of possible investment areas. While this list is
not exhaustive, it is indicative of the areas in which Aqaba would have
a comparative advantage:

1\. Location-Based Services: Cargo handling, Aircraft overhaul and
conversions, Equipment storage and auctions, Freight forwarding and
integrated logistics, Warehousing, cold storage and transshipment.

2\. Professional Services: Engineering consulting, Information
Technology: software development, data conversion, remote processing,
CAD/GIS digitizing, vectorizing, medical transcription, Call centers and
claims processing, Medical centers for long-term recovery and
rehabilitation, Conversion and repair of small vessels, Printing and
publishing, Arabic translation and offshore English production, Internet
Service Providers.

3\. Infrastructures and Land Development: Real Estate development,
industrial parks, technology parks, warehousing parks, business
incubators, and residential complexes, Independent power providers,
Water desalination.

4\. Privatization Opportunities: Municipal services, Selected port and
airport operations.

5\. Logistics: Shipping, Distribution, Transportation, Warehousing, and
Storage Services.

6\. Educational: Universities, Schools.

# 

# Industry

Aqaba possesses several location advantages important to the
manufacturing industry, including availability of low-cost land and
buildings, skilled and trainable labor, transportation infrastructure,
and a stable microeconomics policy framework.

Moreover, producers may be interested in exploiting the benefits of the
QIZ program and the duty-free access to imported input materials, not to
mention Jordan\'s free trade agreements with US, EU and several Arab
countries.

The following is a list of possible investment areas. While this list is
not exhaustive, it is indicative of the areas in which Aqaba would have
a comparative advantage:

1.  Agricultural chemicals and Fertilizers: Jordan possesses a higher
    degree of comparative advantage in the area of potash and phosphate
    fertilizers. This is due to the large reserves of potash and
    phosphate, the proximity to both European and growing Asian markets,
    and the continuing presence of world-class companies.

2.  Dead Sea cosmetics: A major advantage is Aqaba\'s proximity to the
    Dead Sea, from which the natural ingredients of cosmetic products
    are found.

3.  Electronics and electrical appliances

4.  Engineering workshops

5.  Pharmaceuticals

6.  Automotive assembly

7.  Textiles and garments

8.  Food related industries

# 

# Up coming events

**\"Amman Outward Mission\"** that will take place at Grand Hyatt Hotel,
Amman, from 15 - 17 February 2005. This event aims to shed lights on the
latest developments in the Zone to the Jordanian business community. You
can access:

<http://www.asezamission.org/>

# 

# Contacts

Emad Fakhoury

Deputy Chief Commissioner

Commissioner of Investment & Economic Development

Tel: 962/3/209-1006

Fax: 962/3/201-5600

E-mail: ifakhoury@aseza.jo

[www.aqabazone.com](http://www.aqabazone.com/)

**For more information, please contact the U.S. Commercial Service in
Jordan:**

Fareedon Hartoqa, Commercial Specialist

[mailto:Fareedon.Hartoqa@mail.doc.gov](mailto:Fareedon.Hartoqa@mail.doc.gov)