The King Abdullah II Fund for Development (KAFD) is celebrating this year the 25th anniversary of its establishment, recalling a national development journey that began with a Royal vision rooted in faith in the Jordanian people and their ability to shape the future. Over the years, the KAFD has carried a sustainable development mission targeting all the Kingdom’s governorates.
To mark the occasion, KAFD launched its Silver Jubilee slogan: “A Renewed Vision… A Future in the Making,” reflecting the continuity of the KAFD’s approach to development and modernization, building on accumulated national achievements in line with the economic, administrative and political modernization visions, while strengthening its readiness for the next phase.
The slogan embodies KAFD’s resilience and ability to keep pace with transformations and changing realities, while working to shape a more sustainable future by investing in people, empowering youth, and fostering innovation in line with labor market requirements and in support of sustainable development.
On this occasion, Chairman of KAFD’s Board of Trustees, H.E. Eng. Haditha Khreisha, said that over the past 25 years, KAFD has served as a national model for development work based on partnership, sustainability and investment in people. He stressed that the achievements made reflect the far-sighted Royal vision for empowering local communities and transforming challenges into genuine development opportunities.
He added that the next phase requires continued efforts to develop quality programs and initiatives in line with national priorities and modernization requirements, while strengthening the role of youth in the process of nation-building and development.
For his part, Director General of the KAFD, Dr. Samer Mifleh, said that KAFD’s celebration of its Silver Jubilee marks an important national milestone to recall a journey rich in development achievements realized under a Royal vision.
He stressed that KAFD continues its journey today with a renewed vision entailing the drafting of a strategy for the next three years, one that frames its efforts through quality projects and programs, and leverages future technologies and artificial intelligence to build citizens’ capacities, in line with labor market requirements and in support of sustainable development.
The King Abdullah II Fund for Development was established in 2001 under a Royal initiative to serve as a national umbrella concerned with empowering citizens and supporting development and productivity across the Kingdom’s various regions, through the implementation of quality projects and programs that contribute to improving the economic and social realities of local communities.
KAFD operates through two main arms: development projects, and programs and initiatives. Through its development arm, KAFD implements a number of projects that have become national success stories. These include the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts, which was established to support the vocational education and hospitality sector; Oasis500, which seeks to strengthen Jordan’s position as a regional hub for entrepreneurship and innovation; and Ma’an Development Company, which works to provide the infrastructure needed to attract investments to the governorate and serves as the master developer of the Ma’an Development Area.
They also include the Jordan Heritage Revival Company, which offers a unique tourism model through live historical shows and journeys aboard the Great Arab Revolt train; the Dead Sea Company for Tourism and Real Estate Investment, which seeks to promote conference and exhibition tourism; Urdon Shop, which supports traditional handicraft and food industries; Spica Media Production, which was established to produce content documenting important national and historical milestones using the latest media production technologies; and the National Microfinance (Alwatani), which provides support to owners of small and income-generating projects, among other development projects.
As for programs and initiatives, the King Abdullah II Fund for Development has sought to activate the role of youth and empower them to contribute to the Kingdom’s nation-building and development process through a wide range of programs and initiatives. These aim to develop leadership and professional skills through the Civil Service Development Project, enhance youth readiness for the labor market through the Tariqi project, and promote the values of active citizenship and political empowerment through the Parliamentary Fellowship Project.
KAFD also supports creativity and innovation among youth through the Undergraduate Research & Innovation Support Project (RISP). It has further contributed to advancing sustainable development in the governorates by supporting small youth-led projects that promote self-employment across several sectors through the Riyada Program, in addition to other programs concerned with the political and economic empowerment of youth.
In the area of initiatives, KAFD implements the Jordan Gaming Lab, which was launched as an initiative by His Majesty King Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein. Designed specifically to meet the needs of game developers and companies in the design and programming of digital games, the Lab serves as an incubator that helps transform their ideas into viable projects.
Among the initiatives that support youth is the All-Jordan Youth Commission, which was established as an initiative by His Majesty King Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein and is implemented by KAFD to create an institutional youth platform through which young Jordanians across all governorates can engage in the fields of economic, social, political and cultural development.
Over the past 25 years, the King Abdullah II Fund for Development has consolidated its position as a national model for sustainable development work, guided by a Royal vision that believes true investment begins with people. As it embarks on a new phase under the slogan “A Renewed Vision… A Future in the Making,” KAFD continues to work with a forward-looking vision based on innovation, youth empowerment, stronger partnerships and investment in people as the nation’s true wealth, in line with His Majesty’s aspirations for a more sustainable and prosperous future.