Jordan Eyes Regional Industrial Integration Through Trade, Technology, Transport Links

Jordan is positioning itself as a regional hub for integrated industrial value chains by leveraging its network of free trade agreements, mineral reserves and transport infrastructure, Industry, Trade and Supply Minister Yarub Qudah said. Speaking at the Made in Gulf 2026 Forum and Exhibition in Bahrain on Oct. 7, Qudah outlined plans to use agreements with the United Kingdom, European Union, United States, Canada and the Greater Arab Free Trade Area to expand production beyond the constraints of Jordan’s domestic market and build joint industries able to compete globally.

"Regional countries could combine their raw materials, financial resources and industrial capabilities to develop high‑value joint ventures, shifting the focus from self‑sufficiency and industrial localization toward global competitiveness," Qudah said during a panel on "Industrial Integration and Regional Value Chains."

Qudah argued that the MENA region can harness comparative advantages across countries to build specialized production chains in sectors that are increasingly central to global competition, such as rare minerals, semiconductors and high‑value manufacturing. He proposed a potential model centred on Jordan's silica reserves: begin with purification and production of high‑purity silicon, proceed to silicon wafer manufacturing, and then distribute later stages — semiconductors, computers, solar cells and silica‑based fiber optics — among partner countries according to their strengths.

He named specific partners that could participate in such partnerships: the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. The goal, Qudah said, would be to combine raw materials, financing, expertise and specialized manufacturing capabilities to create integrated chains and bolster the region’s role in data and related technologies as global investment accelerates.

In addition to high‑tech ambitions, Qudah pointed to agriculture and food production as ripe for regional integration. He suggested investment from neighbouring states could boost Jordanian agriculture, with the resulting output feeding into food manufacturing elsewhere in the region — linking agriculture, manufacturing and exports while increasing regional added value.

Transport and logistics formed a central pillar of Qudah’s remarks. He said recent disruptions underline the need for interconnected supply chains and alternative routes that can keep trade moving when individual corridors are interrupted. Aqaba Port, he noted, is operating above capacity and that roughly 70% of its activity serves the wider region, with a significant volume of Gulf‑bound goods moving through the port.

Qudah highlighted planned and potential infrastructure projects as initial building blocks for regional supply‑chain integration. He pointed to the railway planned to link Aqaba Port with Jordan's phosphate and potash mines, which could connect with the Maan dry port, and form the first stages of a national railway network extending north toward the Syrian border. In time, he said, such lines could link with Gulf and regional railway systems to create a broader transport network connecting the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and the Levant with outlets on the Mediterranean, Red Sea and Arabian Gulf.

• Speakers on the panel included Bahrain's Minister of Oil and Environment and Special Envoy for Climate Affairs Mohammed bin Mubarak Bin Daina, AD Ports Group CEO for Economic Cities and Free Zones Abdullah Al Hameli, and Foulath Holding Chairman Mishari Al‑Judaimi.

Outlook: Qudah presented a vision in which multi‑route regional transport networks and cooperative industrial strategies reduce vulnerability to external disruptions and increase the region’s competitiveness in high‑value sectors. Realising that vision will require aligning rules of origin and other eligibility criteria across free trade agreements, mobilising finance and coordinating infrastructure investments among governments and private partners across the Gulf and Levant.