Prime Minister Hani Al Mulki opened Thursday the Sahara Forest Project conference in Aqaba about green growth, after King Abdullah and Norwegian Crown Prince Haakon inaugurated the Sahara Project yesterday.

The EU and Norwegian-funded project aims to use resources available in the Kingdom to produce solar power, food, and fresh water, and greening nearly 500 acres in the Aqaba governorate.

Mulki said that Aqaba has become a growing center of investments and large projects, “especially projects with sustainable prospects,” referring to the recent advances the city has made in the fields of renewable energy and eco-friendly projects.

The PM said that four years ago, Jordan was one of the first countries in the region to devise a comprehensive and forward-thinking national policy regarding climate change, in hopes of finding creative solutions to long-term problems like water and energy shortages.

He said that the project will produce fresh water and generate electricity through the utilisation of solar energy.