Jordanian, US firms sign 11 agreements

His Majesty King Abdullah on Saturday attended the signing of 11 agreements between Jordanian and US firms. The agreements, signed on the sidelines of the Jordan-US Business Forum, were in the fields of renewable energy, information and communications technology, agriculture, medicine, innovation and tourism. Rubicon Group Holding (RGH), a global entertainment organisation producing digital animated content and location-based attractions, announced that it will design and produce The Red Sea Astrarium (TRSA), a 184-acre themed entertainment resort located in Aqaba. The cost of the project is estimated at $1 billion and is scheduled to open in 2014, according to RGH. Randa Ayoubi, CEO of Rubicon Group Holding signed agreements with US firms CBS, Paramount Recreation and architectural firm Callison. TRSA will generate employment for more than 500 high-skilled workers in the local community, with RGH facilitating the training for these key jobs, Ayoubi said. John Chambers, chairman and chief executive officer of Cisco Systems announced that the company will implement $10 million worth of information technology projects in the Kingdom over the coming 10 years. Among the agreements was an accord between Amman-based Kingdom Electricity Company and New-Jersey-based Petra Solar to generate solar power in the Governorate of Tafileh under the “Let Jordan Shine” initiative. Jordan Bromine Company and Albemarle Corporation, a global developer, manufacturer and marketer of speciality chemicals, signed an agreement to extract and manufacture bromine from the Dead Sea. San Francisco-based Hawkes Ocean Technologies (HOT) signed an agreement with Rubicon Group Holding to design and manufacture winged submersibles in the southern city of Aqaba. Graham Hawkes, designer of the submersibles, called DeepFlight Super Falcon, said the technology will turn the port city of Aqaba into a tourist attraction, indicating the city will also be the sales centre to the Middle East and North Africa. Minister of Industry and Trade Hani Mulki signed an agreement with Standard Bank under which the bank will secure Jordan grain needs at competitive market prices. Other agreements covered telecommunications as Zain group signed an agreement with Microsoft to provide small- and medium-sized enterprises with technolgy solution needs. The signing ceremny was attended by several ministers and officials in addition to business leaders from Jordan and the US.