Aqaba Container Terminal pillar of the Aqaba Community

Since its inception, Aqaba Container Terminal has accomplished much more than just becoming the preferred gateway to the Levant region and Jordan’s first choice for the importing and exporting of goods – it has worked long and hard to establish itself within its local area as a force for good, and a trusted partner in many highly corporate social initiatives that benefit the community at large.

A major facet of the terminal’s efforts to serve the community first is its high nationalization rate. According to the last Sustainability report of the company, the strong workforce of over one thousand employees is made up of 99.4% Jordanians, many of whom were born and raised in Aqaba. ACT’s approach to community engagement, however, goes far beyond just providing work and a mean of subsistence for its employees. It contributes actively to the social development and quality of life of people from the seaside city as much as  from the more remote areas and villages such as Rahma, Risha, Qatar, Bir Mazkour, Daisy, Qweira, and Dabbet Hanout.

ACT’s corporate social actions are centered around three key pillars: education, well-being, and the environment. Over the past three years, ACT’s social contribution has covered 18 CSR programs, 18,609 man-hours volunteered, and over half a million dinar invested into Aqaba and its surrounding communities, in addition to the many fruitful partnerships the terminal is engaged in with key local organizations such as Tkiyet Um Ali, Helping Hand for Relief and Development and the King Hussein Cancer foundation.

The best known of ACT’s social programs however remains today its ‘Ekfal Taleb’ (Sponsor a Student) campaign, which enhances educational opportunities for people living within the wider Aqaba governorate in partnership with the Directorate of Education. The campaign provides much-needed school supplies to underprivileged children in the area, and also financial assistance with tuition fees of hundreds of students. By prioritizing and enhancing education, ACT can provide greater opportunity to many young men and women, with over 2,400 beneficiaries being empowered in local communities.

Another key corporate social program is the ‘Ahl al Khair’ (Charity People) program, which provides direct assistance to families in need, delivering food parcels and crucial basic supplies to help them go through hardship. ACT also provide these remote communities with medical care as part of their “free medical day” initiative.

The list of ACT’s social programs is actually quite extensive going from drug awareness sessions to women’s empowerment or university support and special trainings to foster independence and employability, thus positively impacting thousands of beneficiaries of all ages.

As to the environment pillar of their corporate social responsibility program, the terminal takes part in numerous campaigns to change behaviors such as beach and seafloor cleanup, removing plastic and other waste harmful to the marine ecosystem and wildlife. Examples of now re-known campaigns are the Go Green initiative, the Clean Up the World Campaign or the Run Jordan event which are all receiving ACT’s support in volunteer man-hours, logistics and donations.

“At ACT, we value our people and our community. As a successful company, we feel we have a moral and a civic responsibility to care about those who are less fortunate and to support - to the best of our ability - the development of our local community. By supporting local initiatives, interacting with our neighbors and protecting the environment said Steven Yoogalingam CEO of Aqaba Container Terminal, we hope to contribute to making Aqaba, its surrounding villages and communities, and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan a better place for everyone.”

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© Press Release 2019