Purchase OBG Publications

The country is working to gradually improve its economic indicators by implementing tough, yet necessary, structural reforms. Although significant strides have been made since 2011, Tunisia continues to face acute macroeconomic imbalances. While reform efforts have suffered from changing administrations in the years following the revolution, in 2018 growth is projected to pick up to 3%, according to the IMF, or 2.8% by government estimates. Both are higher than the trend Tunisia has experienced in the years since the 2011 revolution, which have seen average growth of 2% per annum. This chapter contains interviews with Youssef Chahed, Head of Government; and Samir Majoul, President, Tunisian Union of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts.

This chapter contains an overview of the legal framework in which local and foreign investors operate in Jordan including an outline of workers’ rights and employer regulations and a summary of the types of company for investment. This chapter contains a viewpoint from Khaled Asfour, Managing Partner, Zu’bi Advocates & Legal Consultants.

This chapter contains an overview of the tax framework in which local and foreign investors operate in Jordan including a look at the changes to the tax code that are currently underway and a breakdown of the investment incentives available in the country’s special economic zones. This chapter contains a viewpoint from Osama Shakhatreh, Assurance Partner, Ernst & Young Jordan.

A regional leader in service delivery and speciality care, Jordan’s health sector benefits from a large skilled workforce; a high-quality, low-cost medical tourism segment; and a robust pharmaceuticals manufacturing base. Expenditure on health care provision has risen consistently over the last decade, supporting strong improvements in indicators and outcomes. Meanwhile the kingdom benefits from a well-developed, advanced education system, with literacy rates among the highest in the region, and a large, diverse population of graduate students and researchers. However, the system is simultaneously dealing with rapid population growth and rising demand for post-secondary degrees, which has strained public universities. A mismatch between academic development and labour market demands has also created a shortage of skilled tradesmen. This chapter contains an interview with Labib Khadra, President, Al Hussein Technical University.

Holding the potential to become a major economic growth driver, Jordan’s ICT sector has seen decades of robust telecoms expansion and a liberalisation agenda launched in the early 2000s, supporting rapid growth in mobile penetration and internet usage. Jordan’s ICT sector has been the focus of a series of recent government reforms aimed at supporting macroeconomic growth, with new lending programmes and multiple tax incentives supporting tech firms and IT service providers. The same cannot be said for telecoms operators, which face one of the world’s highest sector-specific tax burdens, with ongoing government efforts to accelerate fiscal consolidation remaining a cause for concern among stakeholders. Recent sector development strategies have identified multiple ICT business lines offering considerable private sector investment opportunities, with the ongoing e-government services and digitisation drive expected to support private sector growth, enabling sustainable long-term development and the eventual transformation into a knowledge-based economy. This chapter contains an interview with Ghazi Al Jobor, CEO, Telecommunications Regulatory Commission.