Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority
ASEZA is an autonomous Jordanian institution that manages, regulates and develops the Aqaba Special Economic Zone. It was inaugurated in 2001.
Industry: Special economic zone authority | Location: Aqaba, Jordan | Founded: 2001
About Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority
The Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority, known as ASEZA, is a financially and administratively autonomous Jordanian institution that manages, regulates and develops the Aqaba Special Economic Zone. Its headquarters is in Aqaba, Jordan.
According to Wikipedia, ASEZA was inaugurated in 2001 on the initiative of the Jordanian government, with the aim of making Aqaba a regional centre for trade, tourism and culture. The authority describes itself as a service body offering assistance to investors. A master plan drawn up in 2002 guides development across five areas: Aqaba Town, the Port Areas, the Coral Coastal Zone, the Southern Industrial Zone and the Airport Industrial Zone, and also covers environmental, coral, archaeological and natural reserves.
The authority is governed by a Board of Commissioners. In June 2025 the Jordanian Cabinet ended the membership of all board members and appointed a new board, naming Karima Al-Dabet as Deputy Chair, together with Al-Mu'tasim Al-Hindawi, Nidal Al-Awawran, Thabet Al-Nabulsi and Mohammad Abu Omar. Earlier coverage of a governorate building opening named Nayef Hamidi Al-Fayez as Chairman of the Board of Commissioners.
Through its Directorate of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, ASEZA launched the Aqaba Sword-Fish Fund in 2026, a three-month programme for startups in Aqaba and southern Jordan. The programme runs through three stages: investment readiness, evaluation and investor matchmaking. It was developed with the Queen Rania Center for Entrepreneurship at Princess Sumaya University for Technology and supported by the Aqaba Governorate Council. Its first phase opened with a three-day boot camp at the Zain Innovation Campus in Aqaba. The Queen Rania Center for Entrepreneurship also lists an ASEZA sandbox challenge among its current projects.
Related bodies include the Aqaba Development Corporation, which Wikipedia says owns the seaport, the airport and strategic land parcels, and the Ben Hayyan Aqaba International Laboratories.