AMMAN – The United States and Jordan today marked the completion of a two-year, JD 3.2 million program resulting in reduced processing times and enhanced security of customs administration. At an event attended by Minister of Planning and International Cooperation H.E. Suhair Al-Ali, American Ambassador Stephen Beecroft, Jordan Customs Director General H.E. Mr. Ghaleb Qasem Sarayrah, Aqaba Special Economic Zone Commissioner for Customs and Revenue H.E. Mr. Akram Madadha, and senior officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, the Jordan Food and Drug Administration, and the Jordanian Institute for Standards and Metrology, participants reviewed the progress of the program and assessed the results.
Speaking to participants, Ambassador Beecroft remarked, “Jordan Customs is now more efficient and more business friendly for importers and exporters alike, strengthening the global competitiveness of Jordan’s businesses.”
The Ambassador noted that the program was a Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Threshold Country activity that successfully achieved its intended results by raising Jordan’s trade policy score according to internationally-recognized indicators central to Millennium Challenge Account Compact eligibility.
Funded by the MCC and administered by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Customs Administration Modernization Program (CAMP) was a two-year program designed in partnership with Jordan to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the customs system. CAMP successfully upgraded 14 customs centers with an online clearance system known as “ASYCUDAWorld.” The program also assisted Jordan Customs to streamline business processes at numerous customs centers around the country while reducing processing times and strengthening the security environment. More than 1,900 customs officers, business professionals, and other stakeholders received training in these new technologies and business processes.
