‘Unfavourable environment could drive away more ICT companies’

AMMAN — After an international digital gaming company left Jordan and Yahoo is set to close its office before year end, the Jordan Gaming Task Force (JGTF) warned Sunday that more ICT companies are likely to leave if the “unfavourable environment governing the sector” continues.

“Last year, Peak Games, which is the largest digital gaming company in Turkey, and the Middle East and North Africa, and one of the top globally, left Jordan. Yahoo is leaving soon. This is bad news, but it was expected,” JGTF Chairman Nour Khrais told The Jordan Times over the phone.

More than 150 Jordanians were laid off when Peak Games shut its offices last year and some 80 are expected to lose their jobs or be relocated when Yahoo leaves by the end of this year, Khrais said.

“ICT companies, especially international firms, face serious difficulties when they plan to hire a non-Jordanian from abroad and issue residency permits,” he added.

The clearance of items, whether software, hardware or even equipment needed by ICT companies, takes “longer than it takes in any other countries in the region”, which is another obstacle, Khrais explained.

“Authorities in Jordan are very good at attracting international companies to open offices here, but we have a problem in retaining these companies. 

“We need to have proper customer care and attention given to such companies. We need to listen to their concerns and problems. We need to engage these companies as true partners, not to encourage them to open offices and then leave them on their own,” Khrais noted.

“If the situation continues, we are likely to see more companies leaving the country, as there are more attractive options in the region for ICT firms nowadays,” he noted.

Founded in 2011, the JGTF seeks to develop the electronic gaming industry in the region.

In recent remarks to The Jordan Times, ICT Minister Azzam Sleit said Yahoo clarified that its closure of the Amman office is not related to the investment climate in the Kingdom.

The minister, who said he communicated with the company after their announcement, noted that the government is surprised by Yahoo’s decision and is keen on the continuation of its operations in Jordan.

The government, he added, is committed to removing any obstacles facing ICT companies.

In a statement last week, Yahoo said it will close its Amman office before the end of the year.  “This decision is part of Yahoo’s global efforts to streamline operations that will help us execute more quickly and efficiently,” the company said in a statement released last week. 

According to the ICT Association of Jordan, the ICT sector contributes about 14 per cent to the country’s gross domestic product.