The USAID-funded Sustainable Achievement of Business Expansion and Quality Program (SABEQ) and the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) met in a workshop on Wednesday, April 18 to set forth an action plan to ease the constraints of licensing procedures faced by the private sector when applying for Vocational Licenses. Vocational Licenses are the license required to operate facilities such as bakeries, pharmacies, etc. throughout GAM.
H.E. Mayor Maani, attended the workshop where the major challenges facing the private sector were openly discussed. Among the challenges exposed included both internal and external challenges such as duplication of procedures during registration and processing of application, the lack or proper coordination and communication between different departments within GAM, multiple site inspections of businesses, and the myriad of approvals requested from many professions from other government agencies prior to issuing the license. Another important factor in obtaining operation permits, is the health certification required in order to qualify for a permit. Currently, all the professions must apply for the health certification and the process of issuing it begins after completing the professional licensing process which further delays the issuance process .
Among the recommendations presented to H.E. Mayor Maani, was better coordination with the external players of the licensing procedures in the Capital such as the Chambers of Industry and Trade, Jordan Food & Drug Administration and the Civil Defense Directorate. Better coordination and cooperation between the major players will significantly reduce duplication and reduce costs. During the discussions, several actions were assigned dates and deadlines to better streamline the process in the district of Wadi Seer, which has been chosen as the pilot for these streamlining activities. Actions determined included the revision of all pre-approvals requested by external agencies and canceling those who do not serve a public interest, issuance of final licensing processes and internal procedures for the Wadi Seer area by May 31, 2007, providing all computer equipment necessary to the Wadi Seer office by May 31, 2007, and determining, by mid-May, which industries require health inspection prior to issuance of the license.
The updating of the Operation Permits procedures is a follow up to the Business Process Re-licensing (BPR) project carried out and funded by USAID in 2003-2004 in Amman. This workshop also emphasized the commitment held between GAM and the USAID-funded SABEQ program on removing and easing government constraints on private sector competitiveness and changing government operating procedures to function in a more productive, transparent and efficient manner.
The USAID-funded Sustainable Achievement of Business Expansion and Quality (SABEQ) program is a 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.
