Al Daman for Development Areas Company

Al Daman for Development Areas Company

Al Daman for Development Areas Company (DDC) was established in 2009 as a private shareholding company fully owned by the Social Security Corporation.  DDC is the investment arm of the Investment Fund for infrastructure development, services and marketing for the King Hussein Bin Talal Development Area in Al Mafraq and the Irbid Development Area, which were demarcated by royal initiatives as special economic development areas in order to contribute to the redistribution of the fruits of development, particularly in economically promising provinces.

DDC owns 80% of the capital of the Mafraq Development Corporation, which is the main developer of the King Hussein Bin Talal Development Area - Mafraq and 100% of the capital of the North Development Corporation, which is the main developer of the Irbid Development Area.

1. King Hussein Bin Talal Development Area

- Geographic location:

The King Hussein Bin Talal Development Area (KHBTDA) in Mafraq is located 60 kilometers northeast of the capital Amman, covering an area of 21 square kilometers.  It is situated on a network of fast and modern highways connecting Jordan with Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. 
With the presence of regional markets in the area, and with the studied conversion of the King Hussein Airbase adjacent to KHBTDA into a multi-use airport, the site has the potential to become not only a leading site for industrial production, but also a regional transportation hub for the movement of goods from all parts of the region and the world.  In addition, the free trade agreements and the numerous bilateral agreements between Jordan and many countries provide an unparalleled opportunity for the KHBTDA to become a pioneering site for industrial production and a trading hub for the exchange of goods in the region and surrounding Arab countries. 




- The area’s investments value: the area has attracted (71) factories including those under establishing or designing and (4) solar projects with a total investment value of around JD 700 million for the operating factories. The current investments created 1850 jobs.

- Features of KHBTDA:

• A sophisticated and organized environment that reduces costs and allows investors to focus on their core activities.  
  A sophisticated infrastructure and high quality services that provide an industry- supportive location and a stable environment suitable for the economic development of projects that will be launched in the area.
  A private sector that leads development, takes charge of management, and meets the priorities of the market and the needs of investors.
  Logistical services in the development area that benefit from the existing infrastructure, support investments in the area, and functions as a transportation hub to empower Jordanian exporters to serve neighboring markets.  
  Residential services that raise different living standards.
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- Target sectors: 

1. The industrial sector:
The King Hussein Bin Talal Development Area depends mainly on the industrial sector to attract investments, create job opportunities, and achieve the desired development.  It represents a unique opportunity to achieve the largest industrial development in Jordan, taking into consideration the strategic location of the area which can access the largest markets in the region, and the potential to benefit from the free trade agreements with the United States, the European Union and Gulf Cooperation Council countries.

2. Supporting sectors: 
Investments in the industry sector focus on a number of medium and light industries to serve regional markets mainly as well as the local market.  It is expected that these investments will concentrate on the following industries: 

• Food Industries.
• Medical and pharmaceutical equipment.
• Light chemical industries.
• Other industries.

3. Logistics sector:

 The core objectives of establishing the King Hussein Bin Talal Development Area include making it a center for logistics in the region by building a land port and an airport for air freight of goods to serve the region in accordance with the highest international standards. This sector includes establishing all types of storage facilities and the infrastructure needed for operations such as loading, unloading, and transfer stations between different modes of transportation, in addition to specialized storage facilities that include fluid storage warehouses and cooled warehouses for pharmaceutical industries and other sensitive materials. 

- Benefits of investment in KHBTDA:

1. Transportation infrastructure:
KHBTDA is located on a network of highways that link Jordan with neighboring countries. The construction of a railway station will enable it to provide distinct and multiple modes of transportation, to become a gateway for trade with Turkey and Europe.

• 2. The land port:
  The land port project in the logistics area provides comprehensive port and logistics services for local and international trade in the areas of import, export, and re-export.  The importance of the land port stems from its role in:
  
  • Enhancing the competitiveness of the Mafraq Development Area in particular and Jordan in general and by putting the country on the local, regional and global trade map.
  • Facilitating import, export, and re-export operations for all goods that come from land, sea and air ports.
  • Developing Jordanian logistics services and strengthening the role of the transportation and storage sectors in the Jordanian economy by creating and developing job opportunities and projects that achieve sustainable growth.
  • Taking advantage of future railway projects in domestic and regional trade.
  • Supporting industrial and commercial projects that depend on imported goods and raw materials that come from Mediterranean and Arabian Gulf ports.
  • Linking Jordan’s trade with Turkey, Europe, Syria, Iraq and the Arabian Gulf to promote economic growth and benefit from foreign trade.
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3. Existing infrastructure: 
KHBTDA is equipped with an advanced infrastructure including water and sewerage networks, electricity grids, and road networks.  It also boasts the largest power converter station in Jordan, with a 160 megawatts capacity in its first phase and a fiber optic network, in addition to space dedicated for power generation from solar energy projects.

4. Community services, housing units, and facilities:
KHBTDA will work to provide community services and facilities, as well as advanced residential units including hotels, shops, restaurants and others. The site will also provide key services to ensure the safety and comfort of all workers and residents including recreational parks, local security, schools, medical clinics, and other key services. 

- Current Investments:
KHBTDA attracted many industrial companies in the following areas:
Chemical and detergents industry.
Aluminum extrusion and forming industry.
human and veterinary medicines industry
Fertilizer industry.
Plastics industry
Mineral water filters industry.
Air conditioners industry.
Power cables industry.
Iron smelting and forming industry.
Natural oils and grease industry.
Paper and cardboard industry.
Food industry 

5. Renewable Energy Projects

The total plan of the region contains solar power generation projects with capacity of 175 megawatts through a number of specialized companies in this field. These projects will provide about 200 jobs during the implementation period, and around 80 permanent jobs.

2. Irbid Development Area:

- Geographic location:

The Irbid Development Area is located 20 kilometers to the east of the city of Irbid and 80 kilometers north of the capital, Amman, on an area of 1.8 square kilometers. It is also close to the Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST), which is a leading scientific institute in Jordan and one of the best universities in the Middle East in information technology, telecommunications, and health care.  JUST includes the King Abdullah the Founder University Hospital, and there are four other universities in the Irbid Governorate.

- The area’s investments value: the area has attracted (10) projects with an investment value of around JD 46 million. The existing ‎projects in the area have created around 2315 jobs.‎

- Target sectors:

1. The service industries sector:
The Irbid Development Area depends mainly on service industries, which include the IT sector to attract investments and create quality value-added job opportunities. The region has the ability to provide quality human resources for the sector, taking into account the existence of more than 50,000 students in the Irbid Governorate. In addition, it offers all the infrastructure needs: communications, information technology, electricity, water and sanitation.

2. Support sectors:
The area also has support services for the IT sector including call centers and back-offices.

3. Scientific research and development (R&D) sector:
The scientific R&D sector complements the key sectors targeted in the area by providing them with qualified and well trained human resources and the scientific research needed to keep abreast with developments in their specialized fields.

4. Healthcare sector:
The importance of the health sector in the Irbid Development Area springs from the environment and infrastructure that serve investments in this area, particularly the King Abdullah the Founder University Hospital that serves more than one million people in Irbid and its surroundings. The area seeks to attract [investments] to create a general hospital, a specialized hospital, a medical training center and medical clinics.

5. Housing and multiple commercial services sector
The housing and multiple commercial services sectors are considered necessary to attract investments in all areas by providing an integrated city within the boundaries of the area.  The area seeks to attract investors to develop its facilities by building hotels with distinctive architectural designs, residential apartments and villas of varying sizes, restaurants, shops, markets, and housing for students and workers.

- Current Investments:

• Telecommunication and information technology (call centers)
  Professional training.
  Intermediate college
  Gaming Lab‏.‏
  Software programming
  TV programs production