Amman, June 10 (Petra) – CEO of the Association of Information and Communication Technology Companies (Intaj) Nidal Bitar, affirmed His Majesty King Abdullah II's vision for the ICT sector, launched in 1999 through "REACH Initiative," constituted the key turning point in development of Jordan's digital economy.
He noted this insight established a sector that is now a "key driver" of economic growth and employment in the Kingdom.
According to an Intaj statement issued on Wednesday, Bitar said the "REACH Initiative" laid out a "clear" roadmap for enhancing the sector and yielded "crucial strategic" outcomes, mainly establishment of a ministry for communications and information technology.
Additionally, he said an umbrella organization was established to represent private sector companies, which later materialized in Intaj, founded in 2000.
Bitar added that joint work between the public and private sectors, based on "clear" performance indicators and strategic plans, has contributed to achieving "qualitative" leaps over the past 27 years.
The number of employees in the sector increased from approximately 8,000 at the beginning of the millennium to more than 46,000 currently, he pointed out.
He said the sector's revenues has risen from approximately $320 million at the beginning of its journey to around $3.6 billion today, reflecting the sector's "significant" development and its potential to become a major economic driver for the national economy.
Bitar stated Jordan has "successfully built an advanced" digital infrastructure during this period.
Citing introduction of 5G services, he referred to milestones in boosting technology exports, developing its cybersecurity system, and enhancing the outputs of technical education to prepare qualified human resources for the local and global labor markets.
Regarding digital transformation, he noted establishment of the National Council for Future Technologies in early 2025 was a "crucial" step in accelerating the implementation of strategic digital projects.
Among the key initiatives launched recently is "Siraj" smart virtual assistant in the education sector, which is used by approximately 200,000 students and teachers, he pointed out.
He also noted other digital signature projects and initiatives were launched to promote digital transformation in the Kingdom.
//Petra// AG
