The Jordanian Ministry of Information and Communications Technology (MoICT) joined Middle East technology experts from the public and private sectors for the Arab ICT Forum, held last week in Dubai under the sponsorship of the Arab League.
The one-day program for Arab ministers, government officials and businesspeople from the Information Technology (IT) industry addressed issues of economic and social advancement through the adoption of ICT.
Jordanian Minister of Information and Communications Technology Fawaz Zu’bi, led the Jordanian delegation and spoke on Developing Human Capital said, “The Arab World needs to focus on five main skill areas to thrive in the global knowledge economy: life-long learning; analytical-thinking; languages; mathematics and science knowledge and change management.”
He added, “It is predicted that by 2010, professional skills will need to be relearned every five years, so continual learning is a reality the Arab World needs to address to become a prominent ICT player.”
Participants discussed challenges and ways to promote inter-governmental cooperation to boost ICT growth in the Arab world through coordination of growth strategies of Arab countries. The agenda also explored common challenges facing the ICT industry in the region and how best to solve them using a unified regional approach.
“Jordan’s e-government initiative is working to bring technology closer to the citizens, thus empowering the ICT industry and transforming the way government works,” said Mahmoud Khasawneh, chief information officer and director of e-Government at MoICT.
“Jordan’s e-Government program is introducing a completely new way of governing, redefining the delivery of government services and increasing access to knowledge and information. All of this is in line with what is being done at this Forum, as ultimately it will result in social advancement and greater demand for ICT products and services throughout the Arab world.”
Earlier this month, Jordan held its second ICT Forum to review Jordan’s development in the ICT sector. Addressing the 1,000 international and local participants, His Majesty called for an Arab platform in ICT, emphasizing that the isolated technological achievements of each country will serve little if the region does not progress as a whole.
The MoICT is responsible for articulating policy in the areas of IT, telecommunications and post in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. The Ministry’s mandate includes creating an enabling environment for ICT investment, overseeing promotion of ICT opportunities in Jordan and creating national awareness about the importance of the sector to economic development. It has also been assigned the responsibility of overseeing the Jordan e-Government Initiative. — (menareport.com)
© 2002 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
