His Majesty King Abdullah on Tuesday said the private sector should increase its participation in efforts to overcome challenges facing the country.

The private sector's contribution should come through clear and well-defined programmes that can improve economic performance, boost reforms and raise living standards, King Abdullah said.

At a meeting with representatives of the different economic sectors, the King underscored the importance of basing a clear and a workable strategy on previous accomplishments.

He said political and economic reforms should be coupled to achieve positive results, and emphasised the need for a real partnership between the private and the public sectors to stimulate steady economic growth, improve the investment environment and attract job-generating projects.

The government will eliminate any obstacles facing the private sector and its plans to increase investments, the King said during the meeting.

Achieving real economic growth depends on the private sector's role in recruiting human resources, the King reiterated, noting that the business world shoulders a heavy responsibility in providing job opportunities for the young.

Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit, who was present at the meeting, asserted the government's commitment to economic reform and its support for strengthening the public-private sector partnership.

Underscoring the importance of the private sector engagement in decision making and drafting policy, Bakhit stressed the government's support for corporate social responsibility initiatives and spoke of the need to further support small- and medium-size enterprises.

With regard to public sector projects, he said the government has allocated JD40 million to implement around 100 projects this year in governorates throughout the country.

On joint public-private sector ventures, he said three projects are currently under way, including a truck-weighing project and one on-road monitoring facility, emphasising the need to expand this cooperation.

As part of efforts to narrow the budget deficit, the premier highlighted plans to merge independent public institutions and efforts to stimulate economic growth and increase capital allocations in the coming years.

The government will carefully examine private sector requirements, especially concerning guest workers, as it draws up a strategy for their gradual replacement by Jordanians in certain sectors, he added.