The United States, in partnership with the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply and the Companies Control Department (CCD), recently launched a “Start-up Guide” campaign to encourage people to register and license their businesses.
The Start-up Guide, developed by the USAID Local Enterprise Support Project (LENS), is a reader-friendly manual that guides business owners through the complete registration and licensing processes for small businesses across Jordan and helps them choose the legal business structure that is right for them. This is the first time that such a resource has been developed in Jordan. The awareness campaign will run from June until September 2016 and will encompass media activities in addition to workshops in Irbid, Zarqa, Amman, Karak and Tafilah for micro and small enterprise (MSE) owners, including women and youth, who are yet to register their businesses.
The Start-up Guide will be provided free of charge in 47 locations around the Kingdom including all Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply directorates and all chambers of industry and commerce, and will remain available after the campaign’s duration. In addition, anyone interested in obtaining a soft copy can download it for free from the Ministry’s website (www.mit.gov.jo) and the CCD’s website (www.ccd.gov.jo).
Improving and easing the process of business registration and licensing is vital to private-sector growth. Micro and small businesses, in particular, have much to gain from becoming registered businesses, such as greater access to finance and legal protection.
During a ceremony to mark the launch of the campaign, the Secretary General of the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply H.E. Yousef Shamali expressed his support for the initiative: “Through our collaboration with USAID, we are committed to creating a better business environment and providing business owners and entrepreneurs with the resources they need to formalize their businesses.”
USAID/Jordan Economic Development and Energy Office Deputy Director Jason McNabb said, “USAID is committed to working with its Jordanian government partners to strengthen the ability of MSEs to grow and thrive in local communities across Jordan and create a robust business sector.” The United States government, through USAID, has provided foreign assistance from the American people to Jordan for more than 60 years.
### END ###
For more information, visit www.jordanlens.org.
For more information about USAID/Jordan, log on to http://www.usaid.gov/Jordan and https://www.facebook.com/USAIDJordan.