Orange Jordan, GIZ, and EU Empower 70+ Startup Mentors Under PASS Programme

Orange Jordan, in partnership with the GIZ-implemented Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Economic Development and Employment (E4DE) project and backed by funding from the European Union (EU) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), has completed an intensive mentorship training that equipped more than 70 entrepreneurship experts across Aqaba, Irbid and Amman. The initiative forms part of the Private Sector Access to Support Startups (PASS) programme, delivered by Orange Jordan and offered by the Business and Professional Women Association (BPWA), and aims to strengthen the pool of private-sector mentors available to Jordan’s startup ecosystem.

"Orange Jordan reaffirmed its commitment to growing the country's startup ecosystem as a digital leader."

The multi-city training covered foundational mentoring skills designed to help specialists support early-stage and scaling startups. Curriculum elements included active listening, effective questioning, root cause analysis, and building support networks for entrepreneurs. Organisers positioned the intervention as a way to build mentor capacity that complements Orange Jordan’s broader entrepreneurship activities — including its BIG by Orange programme, business incubators and accelerators — with the explicit goal of turning local business ideas into commercial success stories.

Programme partners, scope and delivery

• Lead implementer: Orange Jordan.
• Project support: E4DE, implemented by GIZ.
• Funders: European Union (EU) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
• Training provider: Business and Professional Women Association (BPWA).
• Training locations: Aqaba, Irbid and Amman.
• Participants trained: more than 70 entrepreneurship experts and potential mentors.

Organisers emphasised that the PASS programme is oriented toward practical, market-driven support that targets measurable business outcomes. The stated objectives for participating startups include increasing sales, improving productivity and enabling scale at different growth stages. Complementing classroom-style facilitation, the training sought to create a national network of private-sector mentors able to provide hands-on guidance, sector-specific insights and access to local support ecosystems.

Orange Jordan’s ongoing initiatives — cited by organisers alongside the PASS mentor training — include BIG by Orange and partnerships with incubators and accelerators aimed at pipeline development for mentorship, investment readiness and market access. The mentor training was framed as a capacity-building step to ensure startups benefit not only from programmes and funding but also from sustained, quality advisory support.

Outlook

PASS has set a clear short- to medium-term target: to support 130 startups through October 2026. With more than 70 trained mentors now positioned across three governorates, programme stakeholders expect an expanded mentorship network to accelerate progress toward that goal. The combination of EU and BMZ funding, GIZ implementation through E4DE, and Orange Jordan’s delivery role signals sustained public–private collaboration aimed at measurable startup outcomes over the coming years.