Jordan to launch 25-year green city project in 2026

• Prime minister breaks ground
• Phase one to be completed by 2029
• Amra to ease pressure on other cities

Jordan plans to launch the first phase of a 25-year, large-scale project to build a green city in 2026.

Jafar Hassan, the prime minister, last week broke ground on the Amra City project in central Jordan, 40 kilometres from the capital Amman and 35 kilometres from Queen Alia airport.

Phase one, described by the cabinet as one of the largest urban projects in Jordan’s history, will be launched in early 2026 and completed in 2029.

The cabinet said on its official website that the city is not designed to be a new administrative or political capital. However, it is intended to ease demographic pressures on central cities, including Amman and Zarqa.

Amra spans more than 500 million square metres, including around 40 million square metres for phase one, according to the Jordanian Company for Developing Cities and Facilities (JCDCF), which will oversee the project’s completion phases.

Besides houses, facilities in the city will include an international exhibition and conference centre. A sports city, entertainment facilities, an ecological park, commercial and services zones and cultural facilities are also planned.

“Amra City will not be a new administrative capital. It is designed as a green city that utilises modern environmental and technological techniques, clean energy, and public transportation,” the cabinet said.

• Jordan reports higher income from tourism and remittances
• Jordan approves $50m for desert gas field development
• Climate fund backs $6bn Jordan water project

A partial initial public offering may be considered after the first phase is complete. This would allow citizens to benefit from this national investment, it added.

“This large-scale project is a source of considerable optimism for improving the national economy and boosting investment, development and employment activity,” said Yusuf Mansur, former minister of state for economic affairs.

He said the government will be the primary developer of the city. The private sector will play a partial role, contributing to diversifying funding sources and expanding the investment base in the first stages of the project.