The Crown Prince of Jordan, Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II, praised “the potential of the kingdom’s burgeoning information and communications technology sector”, during a speech on the occasion of the launch of the “Jordan Source” initiative.
The Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship launched the “Jordanian Source” initiative to facilitate and facilitate new investments in the Jordanian digital outsourcing economy, at a symposium held by the ministry in partnership with the World Bank Group via the Internet.
Speaking during the symposium titled “Qualified IT Talents in Jordan: Your Winning Card Against Your Competitors”, the Crown Prince said: “Jordanians represent 27 percent of tech entrepreneurs in the Middle East and North Africa despite the fact that the Jordanian people make up only 3 percent of the region’s population. Jordan’s ICT sector supports more than 600 technology companies and startups. Our technical talents have proven their outstanding impact beyond the Geographic boundaries of Jordan “.
He praised Jordan’s strategic location between Asia and Europe and said: “From Jordan, you will be able to grow your business to reach all parts of the world”, adding: “Our free trade agreements allow access to 1.5 billion customers in 161 countries “.
For his part, the Minister of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship, Ahmed Hanandeh, said that the ICT sector in Jordan is characterized by high growth potential, the availability of qualified human resources, secure infrastructure and supportive laws and incentives. The Minister highlighted the stimulus plan provided by the “Jordan Source” initiative, explaining why Jordan is an important destination for IT and business outsourcing.
Symposium participants also discussed the factors that paved the way for Jordan’s success as a promising regional hub in the ICT sector; Among them is Jordan’s resilience, security, and stability despite long-standing problems stemming from the Arab Spring, refugee flows, geopolitical issues, and the ongoing global pandemic.
“Young talent has always been Jordan’s greatest asset,” said Farid Belhaj, World Bank Group Vice President for the Middle East and North Africa.
According to the statement of the Ministry of Digital Economy, Jordan has highly qualified young human resources, who speak Arabic and English, are technically advanced, have excellent education and are eager to work with competitive salaries. More than 50 percent of these resources are under 24 years old, and 22 percent of them have degrees in information technology, engineering, and computer science.
Belhaj noted that the World Bank is supporting Jordan, which is undertaking structural reforms to improve the business environment and increase private sector investment, saying: “The potential for outsourcing activities in Jordan remains largely untapped. and can contribute significantly to increasing export earnings.Jordan has become a regional hub for Outsourcing business operations with the transfer of many foreign direct investments to the Kingdom.
According to the Global Entrepreneurship Report, the ratio of women to men in Jordan increased from 0.26 in 2016 to 0.59 in 2019, a 127 percent improvement in just three years.
The statement emphasized that strong infrastructure complements Jordan’s strategic location; With reliable internet, mobile communications and a strong energy sector in Jordan; There is confidence in the availability of the energy and resources necessary to ensure the continuous progress of the business, and the communication of ICT companies with their clients and providing them with services without interruption.
Jordan offers a family-friendly environment that is open internationally to businesses and visitors alike, with its vibrant, diverse and rich culture, according to the statement.
In a separate panel, representatives from Cristal, Webhelp, Estarta and Aspire noted similar advantages of doing business in Jordan’s digital economy despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the World Bank, Jordan’s real GDP is expected to grow 1.9 percent in 2021, as economic indicators point to higher private demand while global demand remains supportive.
Regarding the vice president of Amazon Middle East and North Africa, Ronaldo Mouchawar, said that Amazon has taken Jordan as its regional hub since entering the region in 2017 after acquiring souq.com, where he said: “We have implemented many of our main activities here in Jordan, such as Technology activities, developing machine learning techniques, developing devices such as voice-over for Amazon Alexa in Arabic, improving operations and customer service. ”
“Amazon has thus demonstrated to many of our global colleagues the value that Jordan can provide in the region and for Amazon’s global workforce,” he added.