Jordan succeeds in building a strong, competitive ICT sector

Al-Anbat-Mohammad Allahham

The representative of the information communications and technology sector at the Jordan Chamber of Commerce, Engineer Haitham Al-Rawajbeh, confirmed that Jordan, with the support of His Majesty King Abdullah II, succeeded in building a strong and competitive information communications and technology sector and was able to attract international companies.

He said that the sector gets the support and attention of His Majesty, which motivates companies working in it to expand and grow locally and export many of their services in the field of software to many Arab and foreign countries, which offers thousands of job opportunities for Jordanians.

Eng. Al-Rawajbeh added, in a statement on Saturday, that the ICT sector abounds with promising opportunities in light of Jordan’s infrastructure, resources, and trained and qualified human competencies in the field. 

He indicated that Jordan was able to attract and localize international companies to invest and work in the important strategic sector thanks to the great developments and its continuous keeping up with the accelerating events globally and regionally, in addition to the presence of Jordanian experience working in this field. 

He declared that the ICT sector and entrepreneurship have made great achievements over the past years, as they have become one of the most advanced and prosperous countries in the region in this vital field. 

He pointed out that Jordan is betting a lot on the information, communications, and technology sector, which is growing annually, in providing more job opportunities for young people, supporting the national economy by shifting to a digital economy, and attracting more international companies to open regional offices. 

He indicated that the communications and information technology sector is a pillar of national security and an important tributary and supporter of the economy, and has proven to have high capabilities during the Corona Pandemic, whether in terms of supporting the fight against the epidemic or facilitating the work of economic sectors and the lives of citizens. 

He pointed out that providing the fifth generation services to the local market will reflect positively on revitalizing the national economy, enhancing its competitiveness, attracting investments, encouraging leadership and innovation, increasing employment opportunities and gaining experience. 

Al-Rawajbeh explained that the investor is looking to direct his investments to countries that have a ready and developed infrastructure in the matter of digital transformation and automation of services, as it is an essential pillar for improving the business environment. 

He pointed out that strengthening the cybersecurity system will contribute to supporting the business sector and providing a safe environment for investment, and that it constitutes an important part of the security system. 

He stressed the importance of strengthening and supporting the role of young people who have pioneering projects and ideas in moving the wheel of economic growth and overcoming the challenges of obtaining the necessary financing to implement these projects and the need to access global markets on the other hand. 

He indicated that Jordanian companies operating in the ICT sector have gone a long way in development and growth and have become supportive of many countries in the region by providing solutions for their various economic and service sectors, in addition to exporting software and qualified and specialized human competencies. 

Eng. Al-Rawajbeh indicated that the Jordan Chamber of Commerce is in constant contact with workers in the sector and seeks to solve and overcome any obstacles facing their work in cooperation with the concerned government agencies. 

The sector’s contribution to the GDP during the past year amounted to 900 million dinars annually, at a rate of 3 percent, while it will reach 3 billion dinars, or by 3.9 percent, during the year 2033, as an economic impact when implementing the vision of economic modernization. 

The number of workers in the sector reached about 25,000 during the past year, constituting 1.6 percent of the total volume of employment in the Kingdom, while their number will reach 101,000 full-time workers in 2033, according to the vision of economic modernization. 

The ICT sector's exports during the past year amounted to 200 million dinars, which constituted 1.9 percent of the Kingdom's total exports, while it will reach 4.5 billion dinars by 2033, as determined by the vision of economic modernization.