Technical Assistance for the Aqaba Development Corporation
AECOM International Development is a leading member of the BearingPoint consortium responsible for the establishment of the Aqaba Development Corporation (ADC), the private sector arm of the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Development Authority of Jordan (ASEZA). The ADC was created to manage the development process and assets of the New Port and Waterfront Redevelopment Program. AECOM International Development’s Senior Vice President, Jim O’Gara is the Program Director for the Redevelopment Program, a $3.5 billion project that will move the main port in Aqaba to the south and will redevelop the vacated land as prime waterfront property. The primary objective of the program is the sustainable improvement of the quality of life of the local community by seeking to create more than 75,000 jobs, attract $6 billion in investment, and increase annual exports $600 million over a 20-year period.
In addition to providing strategic advice to ASEZA on transaction design, performance evaluation and monitoring, financial management and procurement, and overall strategic planning, AECOM International Development has, over the past five years, provided technical assistance directly to the ADC to assist the organization in managing its assets, valued at approximately $3 billion, and in fulfilling its remit of obtaining commercial returns while benefiting the economy of Aqaba.