His Majesty King Abdullah on Wednesday visited a garment factory in the Northern Mazar in Irbid, which he had directed to establish on a previous visit to the governorate, to enhance development projects and provide job opportunities in the district.

The factory, which began production earlier this year, provides 120 jobs to the local community, mostly females, and is part of the labour ministry’s productive branches and units initiative, according to a Royal Court statement.

The factory manufactures ready-made clothes for international brands, and exports to the United States, the United Kingdom and several European countries.

During the visit, King Abdullah listened to a briefing on this Jordanian investment, which is run and managed by Samad Garment Manufacturing Company Ltd, and is expected to increase the job opportunities it provides to 400 by the end of this year.

An agreement between the labour ministry, the Northern Mazar Municipality, and the Technical and Vocational Skills Development Commission included incentives for the investor, with the ministry covering half of workers’ salaries in the first year, in addition to paying a monthly sum of JD25 for transportation, and a similar monthly amount for social security insurance. Meanwhile, the investor would cover these expenses after the first year of operation.

The establishment of the factory was funded through Royal initiatives, in cooperation with the planning ministry.

A total of 30 factories were established across the Kingdom through the labour ministry’s Productive Branches and Units initiative, which has secured 7,307 Jordanians with jobs, a number that is expected to reach 9,000 by the end of this year