His Majesty King Abdullah gave instructions on Wednesday for expediting work on development zones in Maan, Mafraq and Irbid to ensure “a quality leap in the sustainable development process in these areas”.

The King made his remarks during a visit to King Hussein Ben Talal Economic Zone in Mafraq to follow up on work progress in the area.

His Majesty said it was important to accelerate work in these development zones, which are expected to help address poverty and unemployment and improve peoples' living standards in the areas where they are located.

During the visit, the King was briefed by Prime Minister Nader Dahabi and Labour Minister Bassem Salem on progress made in these schemes, the project's timeframe and the master plans for King Hussein Ben Talal Economic Zone in Mafraq and Irbid Economic Development Zone. The premier also reviewed the achievements and future plans pertaining to the two development areas.

King Abdullah said local communities should be engaged in the development projects and reap benefits from the economic activities to be hosted in these estates in a way that positively influences their living conditions.

The King also gave instructions to allocate a 500-dunum area adjacent to the zone in Mafraq to build housing units under the “Decent Housing for Decent Living”, an initiative His Majesty launched in February that will see more than 120,000 units built for limited-income citizens in five years.

Regarding Maan Economic Development Zone, King Abdullah issued instructions for expediting the construction of the estate and the allocation of necessary funds.

His Majesty also directed concerned authorities to expand the dormitories of King Hussein Ben Talal University in order to increase their capacities by additional 3,000 students.

Also on Wednesday, King Abdullah issued instructions for immediate implementation of Irbid Economic Development Zone's infrastructure and accelerate the construction of planned “smart buildings” in order to attract services and information technology companies.

Work is under way at the Mafraq zone, which boasts a strategic location on a crossroads leading to Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Syria.

King Abdullah was briefed by officials in charge of the zone on progress in setting up a cables factory, a Jordanian-Saudi-Japanese joint venture and the first industrial investment to be hosted in the zone. So far, the factory has recruited some 80 Jordanians.

The launch of the development zones is part of Jordan's efforts to distribute development across the Kingdom, especially outside the capital.

In statements to Jordan TV, Salem said the zones are built on the basis of thorough studies that highlighted the edge of each zone to attract investments in the industrial, logistics, services and technical fields.

He predicted that the zones would attract major investments that would provide thousands of jobs and boost the country's exports.