Ajloun – The board members of a civil society organization in Ajloun approached the USAID-funded Sustainable Achievement of Business Expansion and Quality Program (SABEQ) to assist them in building the capacity of the organization in order for it to become a more effective, official and functional association in the Ajloun area.
In response to the request, the USAID-funded SABEQ Program developed a 10-day capacity building and technical assistance series of work sessions to take place throughout the month of May; the first of which began Tuesday, May 8, 2007. The first two day work sessions delivered to the Ajloun Businessmen’s Association focused on general leadership development, and seeking creative initiatives aimed at developing the local economy by taking advantage of the different opportunities on the national level, such as free trade agreements.
The work sessions, facilitated by SABEQ, build on the group’s enthusiasm and drive to improve and sustain Ajloun’s economy. The goal of the technical assistance is to shift the group’s focus to think strategically of Ajloun’s economic future, and the opportunities that great competitiveness can provide the residents of the region. The means of reaching that focal point is done primarily by identifying the advantages that currently exist in Ajloun and harnessing the potential of various sectors contributing to the economy.; such as organic farming.
Follow up to the work sessions will include assistance to the association in becoming more empowered from within and less donor reliant. Ultimately, the desire of the association is to become an effective contributing partner to donor programs by way of participating in the creation, implementation and delivery of the strategic development plans of Jordan’s regions, and not only to be a recipient of funds and equipment for smaller, ad-hoc initiatives.
The technical assistance work sessions provided throughout the month of May are facilitated by the USAID-funded SABEQ solution Institutional Transformation. The solution pursues three primary objectives which include building stronger organizations through revision of their internal structure and mindsets; reducing transaction costs by creating and distributing transparent, results-focused services to business associations; and enabling entrepreneurship by encouraging entrepreneurial minded civil servants start businesses, while supporting them with the transition from secure public-sector jobs to high-risk/high reward private sector businesses that create jobs and enhance Jordan’s competitiveness.
The USAID-funded Sustainable Achievement of Business Expansion and Quality (SABEQ) program is a five year broad economic development initiative implemented by BearingPoint, Inc. and a sizeable team of international and Jordanian partner firms. By both supporting improvements in the business environment and providing assistance to expand innovation and productivity in Jordanian businesses, to support the main objective of building up the private sector as a powerful engine of economic growth.
