The United States Agency for International Development announced on Tuesday that it had transferred $231 million to “help Jordan pay its external debt and enable the government to respond to essential needs and challenges.”
In a statement on its website, the agency said the agreement underscored the American people’s commitment to responding to Jordan’s development needs while taking the Syrian crisis into account.
The agency said more than half its budget went toward helping Jordan repay debt, alongside projects developing sectors such as education and the economy, providing water, conserving energy, strengthening healthcare and promoting gender equality.
Planning and International Cooperation Minister Imad Najib Fakhoury had expected this year’s allocated US cash economic assistance of $231 million to reach the treasury by the end of this week.
During a Monday meeting with the Parliamentary Finance Committee, which is discussing the draft general budget law, Fakhoury said the government had completed all requirements the day before yesterday for transferring the cash assistance, part of a $600 million economic aid package.
He said approximately $184 million of the remaining $369 million was deducted to cover the cost of loan guarantees for the Finance Ministry amid rising debt. The remaining roughly $185 million would be spent directly by the United States through USAID to finance specific projects and programs.
He noted that the United States had provided $1 billion this year: $600 million in economic assistance and $400 million in military aid.