Amman, Jordan, May 2, 2012—
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, and Jordan Ahli Bank today signed an agreement to help small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Jordan acquire the skills they need to expand and create jobs.
Under the agreement, Jordan Ahli Bank will launch and promote a localized, freely-available version of IFC’s SME Toolkit web platform in both English and Arabic. The SME Toolkit offers entrepreneurs free, online, and around-the-clock access to expert information, interactive tools and educational resources in order to help them implement sound business management practices, access finance, and enter new markets.
”Jordan Ahli Bank has long recognized that SMEs are vital to Jordan’s economic growth,” said Falah Mustafa Al Najjar, Jordan Ahli Bank’s Deputy CEO. “SMEs comprise an estimated 98 percent of registered companies and account for more than 60 percent of economic output. The majority are largely considered to be in the introductory stages of development, and as such can greatly benefit from capacity-building initiatives.”
Ahmed Attiga, IFC Country Manager for Jordan, said, ”Smaller companies often don’t have access to the information and training resources they need to expand. The SME toolkit will provide them with those resources, helping these firms grow, create jobs and contribute to Jordan’s economic development.”
IFC’s SME Toolkit was launched in 2002 and is available in 32 countries and 18 languages. Its various websites worldwide receive a combined 5 million unique visitors annually. In many places it is the largest online business support resource in the local language.
In 2006, IFC partnered with IBM to strengthen and expand the SME Toolkit’s capabilities. To date, IBM has invested more than $3 million to co-develop the product on an open-source platform, offering innovative and collaborative features.
Jordan Ahli Bank first started to provide specialized solutions to small and medium enterprises in 2006. Since then, the bank has launched My Business Centers and many unique financial advisory and credit services for the SME sector and steadily grown its market share.
About IFC
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is the largest global development institution focused exclusively on the private sector. We help developing countries achieve sustainable growth by financing investment, providing advisory services to businesses and governments, and mobilizing capital in the international financial markets. In fiscal 2011, amid economic uncertainty across the globe, we helped our clients create jobs, strengthen environmental performance, and contribute to their local communities— all while driving our investments to an all-time high of nearly $19 billion. For more information, visit
www.ifc.org
For more information about Jordan Ahli Bank
, please visit
www.ahli.com
.
