Digital economy minister says around 60% of government services digitalised

AMMAN — Minister of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship Ahmad Hanandeh on Sunday said that full digitisation of services in Jordan has achieved 55-60 per cent.

In remarks to Al Mamlaka TV, Hanandeh added that the procedures for systems supporting digital transformation in government institutions have been re-engineered and restructured, or new systems have been built to facilitate these institutions. 

This is alongside the infrastructure supporting digital services, particularly the comprehensive service centres which His Majesty King Abdullah has directed to be established to serve and ease the lives of Jordanian citizens, added the minister.

He noted that the first service centre was established almost a year ago, and today there are four comprehensive service centres in Jordan, and by the end of this year, there will be eight to nine centres.

Jordan has made significant leaps forward under the direct guidance and supervision of His Majesty and follow-up by HRH Crown Prince Hussein in terms of digital transformation, according to Hanandeh.

He pointed out that the Kingdom has gone through several stages concerning technology, the first being "automation".

The minister added that the digital infrastructure of the government is "excellent" and comparable to its counterparts in the Arab region.

Regarding the ICT sector, Hanandeh said that the Kingdom began investing in this field early on, adding that when King Abdullah assumed his constitutional powers, he paid significant attention to the sector, which helped it achieve substantial qualitative accomplishments.

He described the ICT infrastructure in Jordan as "very distinguished", with a focus on the sector regarding qualified, trained, and capable human resources who have achieved significant accomplishments recognised worldwide.

Hanandeh noted that the first Arab e-mail platform was Jordanian and was acquired by Yahoo, and the first e-commerce platform started in Jordan.

His Majesty ordered the establishment of the first training centre for electronic game development in 2011 when 3G was being launched, and the first business incubator for start-up projects was in Jordan upon the King's directive, according to Hanandeh.

The minister stressed having appropriate infrastructure in Jordan, in addition to qualified human resources, highlighting that the Kingdom has achieved significant accomplishments over the past 25 years.

He indicated that Jordan has the ability to become a global hub, as it is a major producer of creativity and innovation in the field of technology and communications.