Amman, Sept 5 (Petra) -- Tangible progress has been made in implementing the executive plan for reforming and developing public administration as the government commits to improving the quality of services and enhancing institutional performance, the mid-year report on the Public Sector Modernization Program, published by the government in mid-August, concluded.

Officials and commentators highlighted key achievements in the areas of administrative modernization, digital transformation, developing legislation governing public service and administration, and future aspirations.

The first half of the year was characterized by a focus on building shared government enablers, alongside achieving direct and tangible results in services, digital transformation, and human resource development, Minister of State for Public Sector Development Badriya Al-Balbisi said.

The work was based on comprehensive measurement to ensure good governance as the first phase of the National Public Sector Modernization Index was launched to quantify achievements with precision and identify areas for improvement and those requiring further effort, she said.

Al-Balbisi pointed to direct investment in government employees and leaders through launching the Jordanian Academy of Public Administration and completing the government competency framework to link recruitment, evaluation, and development processes with technical skills required for government work.

She added that the government began building its future readiness through enhancing artificial intelligence capabilities, implementing digital transformation standards (Irtaqa), assessing data maturity, developing AI agents, and completing the digital legislative roadmap as the foundation for a smart legislation and compliance system.

The minister noted integrating a 360-degree Citizen Voice model that allows public organizations to capture, analyze, and act on community feedback in real time, adding that these achievements form the foundation to build on in the coming years to turn public sector modernization into tangible results that citizens feel.

AI has become an integral part of how governments function, and it will constitute a radical change in service delivery mechanisms and decision-making, she said, stressing early preparation for such developments.

Minister of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship Sami Smirat noted that the government has digitized 86 percent of its services by the first half of the year, an achievement that positively impacted citizen satisfaction levels, which reached about 85 percent.

A key achievement was the launch of the updated version of the "Sanad" application, he pointed out. He said that while it took about five years to activate two million digital IDs, the latest update to the application led to the activation of one million new digital IDs in record time, bringing to three million the total number of activated digital IDs.

For his part, Service and Public Administration Commission hairman Fayez Al-Nahar said his institution developed competency frameworks for 21 job groups, about 75% of all public sector jobs. He also said the commission devised new assessment tools, including leadership skills, intelligence, cognitive, and communication skills tests, to ensure accurate measurement.

The commission reviewed and developed more than 25 organizational structures across various ministries, institutions, and government departments, in addition to providing technical support to more than 40 government departments to improve their services and facilitate access for customers, he said.

Abdullah Al-Qudah, a public policy and administration expert, commented that the establishment of the Jordanian Academy of Public Administration is one of the landmark achievements in the Kingdom's public administration history.

He noted its focus on leadership programs, notably the "Leaders Making an Impact" program for directors general, as well as executive leadership programs.

//Petra//SS