Economic and Social Council Chairman Musa Shteiwi said that Jordan has political and His Majesty King Abdullah II’s support to enhance the cooperative sector industries and cooperative economy for their major role in development. During his participation in a social economy session on Tuesday at the 4th Conference for French-Speaking Business Owners in the Dead Sea, Shteiwi noted that the Council is prepping a study on cooperative associations’ economic activities and workforce to define the obstacles they face. Organized by the Jordan Businessmen Association (JBA), in cooperation with the French-speaking businessmen group, the conference brings together some 200 investors and economic experts in various fields, as well as several local, Arab, and international companies and institutions. In addition to Jordan, the conference, held for the first time in a non-French-speaking country, is attended by France, Belgium, Tunisia, Algeria, Canada, Romania, the Ivory Coast, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Croatia, Nigeria, Cameroon, Benin, Palestine, and Senegal. Shteiwi enumerated a host of cooperative sector hindrances such as the instability of legislation, inadequate funding, lack of attention for training, and the lack of general cooperative federations. He pointed out that there are 1,497 cooperative societies in the Kingdom, 23 percent of which are agricultural cooperatives. Multi-purpose cooperatives constitute 51 percent of the total number, while housing societies and women’s societies make up 11 percent and 5 percent, respectively, he added.

Source: Jordan News Agency