Amman – The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources has affirmed that the government, as part of its efforts to implement the Economic Modernization Vision and enhance the investment environment, is proceeding with opening investment opportunities for local and international startups in the mining sector. These opportunities will follow technical and financial standards that ensure seriousness and professionalism, enhance the added value of national resources, and align with internationally recognized best practices in the sector.
In a statement issued today (Saturday), the Ministry clarified—responding to reports about startups being granted mining concessions—that this approach is part of a comprehensive strategy to maximize the benefits of natural resources and stimulate local manufacturing. It noted that the government’s implementation agreements allow startups to enter the Jordanian market, provided they meet certain conditions to ensure seriousness. These include submitting a detailed work plan for the pre-development and development phases, providing unconditional financial guarantees to ensure execution, and partnering with a reputable international technical firm with proven experience in mining projects.
 

Wadi Araba Minerals Company: A National Model for Serious Investment in the Mining Sector

In this context, Wadi Araba Minerals Company has emerged as a national Jordanian startup specializing in the exploration and exploitation of strategic minerals. The company was recently established in response to government directives to safeguard natural resources and maximize their economic returns.

Its operations complement earlier work conducted by the Turkish company Solvest, which carried out preliminary exploration studies over the past three years on copper ores in the Wadi Abu Khushaibeh area. These efforts resulted in a preliminary economic feasibility study in accordance with the internationally recognized JORC CODE standards, which also indicated promising signs of gold mineralization in the same region.

Under the agreement signed with the government, the company is expected to convert into a public shareholding company within two years, upon completing technical studies and a comprehensive feasibility study. At that stage, 49% of its shares will be offered to the public on the Jordanian stock market—enhancing transparency and offering citizens an opportunity to share in the economic returns.

The company has submitted an unconditional performance guarantee worth $730,000 USD to demonstrate its full commitment to the government-approved work plan. Its founding partners possess strong financial capacity and diverse international experience. The company also plans to increase its capital to $7.5 million USD this year.

Several of the company’s founders have over 30 years of technical experience in similar mining projects, further boosting the government's confidence in the company’s ability to meet the required technical standards.

Pilot Copper Production Project in Wadi Abu Khushaibeh

The company is currently coordinating with the government to prepare a plan for establishing a pilot plant to produce refined copper (copper cathodes), with an annual production capacity of 1,000 tons, based on previous metallurgical extraction studies. The company is expected to provide the government with engineering designs for the plant within one month from today.

Solvest’s studies also indicated that the Abu Khushaibeh area contains approximately 30 million tons of ore, not pure copper, with copper concentrations ranging between 0.4% and 0.5%—highlighting the area’s promising mining potential.

Agreement Terms: Ensuring Commitment, Transparency, and Empowerment of Jordanians
The agreements signed with startups include several commitments, such as submitting a comprehensive development plan, conducting a full economic feasibility study, obtaining all environmental and technical licenses, paying taxes and the imposition of a windfall profits tax to ensure balanced returns and protect national interests.
Moreover, the government requires every investor or developer to establish a local startup company as a partner in the project—even if the parent company is international. This aims to deepen the local economic impact and allow Jordanian companies to actively contribute to the implementation of strategic projects.

Commitment to the Vision and a Productive Partnership with the Private Sector
The Ministry concluded its statement by emphasizing that these initiatives and agreements represent a practical implementation of the Economic Modernization Vision, reaffirming the government’s commitment to promoting quality investment, empowering the private sector, creating new job opportunities, and increasing the mining sector’s contribution to the GDP—thereby supporting sustainable, innovation-driven economic growth.