Project description / objective
Iqlaa aims to support Jordan's home-based businesses (HBBs) and micro-small enterprises (MSEs) to grow, transform and become resilient to future challenges. Iqlaa’s approach explores new ways of doing business and improving access to finance, markets and services. It focuses on four sectors: agriculture, tourism and hospitality, manufacturing and services, with a special focus on technology integration. The programme encourages and supports the participation of all MSE-owner segments
Market systems focus
Note on market system focus:
While Iqlaa is mandated to operate across agriculture, tourism, manufacturing and services, these sectors are too broad - and the target group too fragmented (with most MSEs operating across multiple activities) - for a sector-based MSD approach to be effective. As a result, the programme defines its primary system as the microenterprise goods and services (MGS) system, where the core transaction is MSE sales, regardless of sector.
Within this, the “systems” described below (e.g. marketing, input supply, digital financial services, logistics, access to capital) are functionally defined support markets. Their boundaries are determined by common constraints, shared root causes and relevant market actors affecting large numbers of MSEs across sectors.
Marketing services
MSEs struggle to increase market access and scale up their sales because they are not positioning, promoting and marketing their products effectively. This is held back by several constraints: unclear marketing channels, poor brand visibility, lack of digital skills and weak customer engagement.
Inputs supply
MSEs lack regular access to affordable and reliable business inputs. The constraints lie in systemic gaps in sourcing, financing, distribution and inventory coordination related to weak linkages with importers, wholesalers, distributors and digital input providers.
Access to capital
To grow their businesses, MSEs need access to financial products and services suited to their needs. This requires addressing systemic gaps in credit provision, product design, risk assessment and market linkages.
Digital financial services
Key barriers to MSE adoption of digital financial services include limited financial literacy, inadequate product awareness, and weak integration with business operations.
Logistics and aggregation
MSEs face critical gaps in last-mile delivery, aggregation services, storage and transportation. The constraints in logistics and aggregation include high costs, unreliable services and weak linkages with key service providers.
Programme interventions
Marketing services
- Expanding market access for MSEs and home-based businesses (HBBs) through a co-investment partnership with a digital delivery platform - improving logistics efficiency, customer reach and order fulfilment across Aqaba.
- Empowering MSEs and HBBs through an e-learning platform and customised digital marketing services via a co-investment partnership with a digital solutions company. The intervention supports enhancing digital capabilities, market visibility, customer engagement and competitiveness - fostering innovation and sustainable economic growth for MSEs and HBBs across Jordan.
- Supporting MSEs and HBBs in underserved areas in Jordan through a co-investment partnership with a digital logistics and delivery platform. The intervention supports onboarding new businesses, integrating an AI-powered system to streamline service requests, piloting a B2B inputs supply solution with buy-now-pay-later financing, and delivering targeted capacity-building on product packaging and presentation.
Inputs supply
- Enhancing mini-marts' access to essential fast-moving consumer goods (FMCGs) and improving operational efficiency through co-investment partnership with a B2B platform. The intervention supports the expansion of the platform’s reach to MSEs in new areas, including Amman and Zarqa, while strengthening inventory management, delivery efficiency and business profitability through technology-enabled solutions.
Access to capital
- Expanding access to tailored financial products for MSE pharmacies through a co-investment partnership with a digital supply chain and financing platform.
The intervention supports the expansion of embedded invoice financing and digital procurement services, connecting pharmacies, suppliers and financial institutions to improve access to working capital, strengthen supply chain efficiency and streamline procurement and financing processes for MSE pharmacies.
Digital financial services
- Enhancing MSEs’ digital capabilities and financial literacy through a co-investment partnership with a payment service provider focusing on both offline and online businesses.
The intervention supports e-commerce adoption, digital payment systems and access to digital financial services, strengthening operations and market reach. Each trained MSE that adopts the e-wallet or payment gateway becomes a paying customer, generating ongoing transaction revenue. Thus training is a customer acquisition strategy for the payment service provider. - Empowering mini-marts through a co-investment partnership with a digital payment platform that connects MSEs with distributors and suppliers, enhancing financial inclusion, operational efficiency and scalable growth across value chains.
Logistics and aggregation
Information to be added when available.
Notable results
Enduring systemic change
Marketing services
- Digital learning, business development, marketplace, ordering channels, and logistics services have been expanded, increasing the availability of affordable business support and market access solutions for MSEs and HBBs, including those in underserved areas.
- 575 MSEs and HBBs used digital learning platforms and tailored marketing services to strengthen their digital business capabilities.
- 961 MSEs and HBBs were onboarded onto digital marketplace and logistics platforms and received business support services enabling them to make their products available through digital ordering channels, receive and manage customer orders, access delivery services and reach customers beyond their immediate locations.
Inputs supply
- Digital wholesale procurement services have been expanded, strengthening supplier–retailer linkages and improving procurement, inventory management and product availability for micro and small retailers.
- A total of 1,235 MSE mini-marts were onboarded onto a digital procurement platform, enabling faster restockin, reducing the need to hold excess stock and providing access to a wider range of products, digital payment services, cashback incentives and AI-enabled market insights.
- Continued private-sector investment in technology, supplier networks, warehousing, logistics, staffing and geographic expansion demonstrates commercial incentives to sustain and scale digital wholesale services.
Access to capital
Information to be added when available.
Digital financial services
- Digital financial service providers expanded merchant payment solutions, e-wallet services and payment gateway integration for MSEs.
- 606 MSEs accessed digital financial services through merchant onboarding, e-wallet activation, digital payments and financial literacy support, with digital payment solutions projected to reach an additional 2,000 MSEs.
Impact on poverty
Information to be added when available.
[uploaded July 2026]