Boston - Governor Maura Healey and First Lady Joanna Lydgate today welcomed His Majesty King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to the Massachusetts State House. After a brief meeting in the Governor’s Ceremonial Office, Governor Healey and His Majesty met with representatives of Massachusetts’ leading industries - health care, life sciences, technology and innovation, financial services, and higher education - to discuss business and economic ties between Massachusetts and Jordan.
“It was an honor to welcome His Majesty King Abdullah II and his delegation to Massachusetts,” said Governor Maura Healey. “We deeply value the longstanding friendship and partnership between Jordan and Massachusetts and believe there is significant opportunity to grow. Massachusetts is a global hub for life sciences, health care, financial services, technology and innovation, and so many other cutting-edge sectors. We were grateful for the opportunity to connect His Majesty with many of the incredible leaders who make Massachusetts’ economy so strong and vibrant, and we look forward to future collaboration in the years to come.”

His Majesty King Abdullah II highlighted the importance of expanding cooperation between Jordan and the United States, pointing to the Kingdom's competitive investment environment, its free trade agreements, its technology and innovation infrastructure, as well as its qualified human capital as major advantages.

 “It was a privilege to meet with his Majesty King Abdullah II to discuss the ties between the people of Massachusetts and Jordan,” said First Lady Joanna Lydgate. “Together we share a commitment to celebrating the incredible diversity of our cultures while uniting around our common goals and values.”

“We were honored to welcome His Majesty King Abdullah II to Massachusetts,” said Economic Development Secretary Yvonne Hao. “Under His Majesty’s leadership, Jordan has made strides in modernizing its economy and workforce. Today’s roundtable with Massachusetts business and academic leaders was a great opportunity to highlight our state’s economic diversity and explore potential partnerships for future international trade and investment between Massachusetts and Jordan.”

Governor Healey facilitated a roundtable discussion of business leaders to discuss ways to further strengthen economic ties between Massachusetts and Jordan, which have long enjoyed a strong trading partnership. In 2023, Massachusetts exported $7.3 million in goods to Jordan and imported $15.3 million.  

Massachusetts is a hub for life sciences activity, with Greater Boston and Worcester ranking in the top 25 cities for life science talent and manufacturing, according to CBRE. Currently, 18 of the top 20 largest global life sciences companies are located in Massachusetts, and the state continues to support life sciences companies seeking to relocate and expand through the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center and the Life Sciences Initiative. Governor Healey recently signed into law the Mass Leads Act, an economic development bill that includes a $500 million capital reauthorization of the state’s Life Sciences Initiative over 10 years and an expansion of a tax credit program designed to spur job creation and growth in the life sciences industry.

Massachusetts also has a world-class health care system. The results speak for themselves – Massachusetts has the highest share of residents with health insurance coverage at over 98 percent, the lowest premature death rate in the country and the lowest share of adults in fair or poor health. Earlier this year, Governor Healey signed a bill expanding access to midwifery, birth centers and doulas in Massachusetts. 

Massachusetts is home to a thriving innovation economy and is often ranked among the most innovative states in the country. The state’s technology companies, academic institutions, incubators, entrepreneurs and researchers make Massachusetts one of the best places in the U.S. to start a business or launch a new technology. Massachusetts has the most STEM graduates per capita, the highest percentage of jobs in high-tech industries and more than 1.4 million workers in the innovation economy to help build the technology of tomorrow. Governor Healey’s Mass Leads Act also provides more than $300 million in capital authorization for new and existing programs at the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative to support advanced manufacturing, robotics, the Massachusetts TechHub Program, as well as for Small Business Technology Grants at MassVentures.

Financial services make up 15 percent of the Massachusetts economy, with 211,000 employees and over 350 FinTech companies. Boston is often ranked among the Top 25 Financial Centers in the world. Additionally, Massachusetts leads the country in venture capital invested per capita.