Aqaba Special Economic Zone - your gate for the global economy

Aqaba special economic zone has made many leaps within a short time frame of 20 years, which transferred it from being a simple coastal town and the only port of the kingdom to an advanced regional center on the middle eastern and regional level and an attractive global investment in tourism, the logistics services, multimodal transportation and value-added industries, which solely depends on its special location and the legislative environment, pioneer and competitive investments and modern infrastructure. Aqaba special economic zone was established as a developed investment zone with multiple economic activities that characterizes by customs and reduced and consistent taxes exemptions within the most important initiatives from the Government of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to support the local economy in developmental motivations and increasing the national income, in order for the region to start its work in the beginning of 2001, to manage Aqaba special economic zone authority which has always designed a simple investment environment that provides the requirements and needs of the investors to attract the foreign direct investments and increase the private sector participation in all the aspects in managing and investing the region. Aqaba special economic zone authority works consistently on providing the quick and efficient help to all the social and economic activities in the region. That is why a sole investment window only for the investors has been introduced, which provides all kinds of services and meets all the business needs through simple procedures to register and license the economic activities. In that regard, the authority has launched an electronic program (ERPS) that has a certificate of ISO in the business, registration, authorization and marketing fields. Which makes the registration process of any company in the region easy and direct, which receives an extra care of integrated approach based on the best employee’s performance. The authority has constantly created a pioneered working environment that increases the standard of living and enhances the exchange and extra services processes, tax-free and overcoming the obstacles to ensures the work efficiency.

The Strategic Choice to reach the global markets

The Strategic Choice to reach the global markets The Aqaba Special Economic Zone that located within the historical city of Aqaba, specialized within a strategically location that forms a meeting point for three continents and a crossroads of four countries along the Jordanian coast on the Red Sea of 375 km 2 in the far south of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the sea front is 27 km long in addition to more than 20 km of industrial marine interfaces. Aqaba city’s population, which is about 200,000, is characterized by the availability of the infrastructure, superstructure, integrated Social and service structure that is necessary for a thriving city and a regional developing center. The region serves an international airport and an integrated and modern port system, which serve Jordan and the region as a whole, with 36 piers distributed over several different ports that provide international services for all ships and goods types and sizes. The current port accommodates vessels carrying all types of goods, including dry bulk cargo, which weights up to 75,000 DWT and Panamax containers. The current port in addition to its Panamax provides a separate station, which serve the passengers ships and cruises. Aqaba Airport is one of three airports in Jordan, and the only one that has open skies polices and able to receive and deal with all types of commercial and passenger aircrafts. Aqaba is connected to the surrounded areas by a wild road network that allows passengers and goods to travel quickly and safely inside Jordan, to teach to the markets in a dynamic and efficient manner. Aqaba provides a high-level of infrastructure and modern support services at an international standards. The city is supplied with a 600 M.W power from the Aqaba Hydroelectric power station, which located in the region, which feed the national grid that connected to the electricity networks in both Egypt and Syria. It also has a water resource from groundwater basins located 80 km away from Aqaba in the area that known as Al Daisa Basin. There are plans to establish water desalination to meet the future needs. Also a wastewater treatment station, which now is under expansion. As for the communications, Aqaba is getting benefit from the features of a high-capacity communications cable that is accessible worldwide by the fiber optic network around the world, which has a connecting station in Aqaba. In addition, it has a telecommunications and fiber optic services are available at competitive prices at the regional level. The land in Aqaba Special Economic Zone offers opportunities for the interested investors in the real estate and tourism development sector, to establish residential complexes, tourism projects, logistics centers, warehouses, industrial cities and technical production complexes. The existing industries in Aqaba will benefit from the preferential access of the Jordanian origin products to the World Trading Organization and many Arabic country markets. Jordanian products have a free and quota- free access to the United States markets through Free Trade Agreement and Qualified industrial Zones. As well as to the European Union Markets through the Jordanian-European Association Agreement. In addition to the above, all investment sectors in the region will benefit from the advantage of the trained human resources and the skilled labor that has a regionally competitive cost.

Pioneer investments environment