World Bank Proposes 18-Month Extension for Youth Project

The World Bank is nearing approval of a government-requested restructuring of Jordan’s $200 million Youth, Technology and Jobs Project that would extend its closing date by 18 months and reallocate $3.8 million within the existing budget. The proposed changes would move the project’s closing date from February 28, 2027 to August 31, 2028, transfer $2 million to employment support to finance additional on‑the‑job training and wage incentives, and redirect $1.8 million to project management and implementation support without changing the overall $200 million cost.

"No funds had been disbursed for startup grants," the restructuring document notes, a point that underpins the decision to cancel that activity and reallocate its budget to higher‑priority components.

Progress across project indicators

Implemented by the Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship and financed in part by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), the project has recorded notable results against several targets. As of June 30, 2026:

• 5,935 beneficiaries have reported documented new income opportunities, up from 4,938 at the end of 2025, against a final target of 10,000. The cohort includes 2,754 Jordanian women and 163 Syrians.
• 12,429 people have been trained by project-supported providers (83% of the 15,000 target), with 7,056 Jordanian women among trainees—exceeding the women’s target of 4,800 by 47%.
• The digital skills curriculum reached 760,554 students in grades seven through 12, roughly 2.5 times the 300,000 final target; 376,741 beneficiaries were Jordanian female students and 41,048 were Syrian students, surpassing respective targets of 150,000 and 18,000.
• Digital government outcomes include 52,896,189 transactions—more than 10 times the 5 million target—and 178 newly digitized services versus a target of 100. The share of digitally enabled government payment services rose to 80.2% in Q2 2026.
• Private‑sector investments mobilized by the project reached about $16.6 million (83% of the $20 million target), while GrowJo Talent‑supported IT and outsourcing employers expanded digital‑skilled hires from 3,091 to 3,515.

Why the extension and reallocation were requested

The restructuring paper explains that several activities are at advanced stages but require more time to deliver, verify and register outcomes—particularly employment placements requiring Social Security Corporation verification, youth training programs in governorates, and programs involving Syrian participants. Technology centres in Aqaba and Irbid are operational but need a longer implementation window to reach larger beneficiary numbers. The paper also documents progress under 23 active agreements for digital platform services moving toward 6,002 beneficiaries.

Financially, the project shows a net IBRD commitment of $163.1 million, of which $88.37 million has been disbursed, alongside $36.9 million in grants with $19.95 million disbursed. Reallocating $2 million will increase the employment support envelope from $11.5 million to $13.5 million, with priority given to Syrian refugees and members of Jordanian host communities while maintaining the 10,000‑beneficiary target for new income opportunities.

Outlook

If approved, the August 31, 2028 closing date will give implementers additional time to complete verification and disbursement processes and to scale activities that have shown strong uptake—including digital skills training in schools, expansion of digital government services, and employment support through on‑the‑job training and wage incentives. The cancellation of the startup grants activity and the agreed reallocation were confirmed in formal correspondence between the World Bank and Jordanian authorities in August 2026.