A total of four grant agreements worth $429.7 million has been signed between Jordan's Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation and the US, under the Economic Support Fund (ESF) for Jordan in the fiscal year 2015, a report said.

The Minister of Planning Imad Najeeb Fakhoury signed the agreements on behalf of the Jordanian government, added the report from Jordan News Agency (Petra).

The ESF for 2015 amounts to $615.3 million, where an amount of $185.6m has already been obligated for the Loan Guarantee Agreement as a cost of subsidy, Fakhoury was quoted as saying in the report.

He said that the ESF was a reflection of the strong and strategic partnership between the two countries at all levels and fronts.

Fakhoury also praised the partnership that Jordan has developed with United States Agency for International Development (USAID) over the years, and its efforts to ensure the success of the programmes and projects implemented on the ground.

USAID mission director, Dr Jim Barnhart, signed the four grants agreements that targeted programmes of budget support ($231.4 million); social sector quality improved ($133.4 million); strengthened democratic accountability ($35.7 million); and broad-based, inclusive economic development ($29.2 million).

Fakhoury noted that the USAID remains the number one donor for Jordan, and indeed, a key partner in the country’s development, modernisation and reform process.

The support of USAID has made key reforms over the past years in various priority areas; such as water, environment, health, education, private sector development, enhancing the business climate, tourism, energy, youth, enhancing good governance, and poverty alleviation, he concluded.