Jordan explores African markets to boost exports

Jordanian Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour said his country is currently expanding into new markets in Africa to increase exports, reported the state-run Petra news agency.

Following Jordan's 30 to 40 percent decline in exports to Syria and Iraq in 2015, two long-established major markets for Jordan, the prime minister declared in his address to Parliament that Jordan is setting up a strategy to both initiate and boost trade ties with several African countries.

Jordan's overall exports dropped by six percent in 2015, according to Ensour.

Jordan sealed shut its border with Syria in 2015 following intense battles between Syria's government forces and opposition groups in southern Syria by the Jordanian border.

Also in 2015, Iraq closed its borders with Jordan after the so-called Islamic State (IS) controlled large areas of Iraq's Anbar province along the Jordanian border, incurring losses of hundreds of millions of U.S. dollars to Jordan's export sector.

Ensour added the government will cooperate with the private sector as well in order to gain access to new markets in Africa.

Jordan will send several trade missions to both Ethiopia and Algeria in 2016, and plans to sign trade agreements with Tanzania and other African countries to increase trade, stated Ensour.

He added that studies are underway to determine potential markets to enter into in a bid to expand trade with African countries.