Abu-Ghazaleh sponsors a scientific day on "Digital Jordan 2020 or 2040 between reality and ambition."

Amman - Under the patronage of His Excellency Dr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh and Eng. Ahmed Samara Al-Zu'bi, the Jordanian Engineers Union, Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Knowledge Forum, in cooperation with the Union, organized a scientific day entitled "Digital Jordan 2020-2040 between Reality and Ambition” to discuss the reality of e-government and the reasons behind the delay in its implementation, as well as to come up with general practical and applicable recommendation.

During the meetings, Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh explained that e -government refers to the provision of government services to citizens electronically in order to reach all segments of the local community. He highlighted the necessity for accelerating the process for achieving its implementation, noting that His Majesty King Abdullah II was the first to call for its implementation.

Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh stated that the future and wealth building will depend on innovation, adding that all future occupations will be based on information technology. He further noted that the importance of innovation is what prompted Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization (TAG-Org) to establish Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Applied University for Business and Information Technology, which will soon receive its students. The aim of establishing this University is to graduate innovators who will be required to create a new and practicable invention for the benefit of society, as a graduation requisite.

He pointed out the need to equally involve the local community and the private sector in the process of electronic transformation, according to a correct and practical plan, calling for the establishment of a specialized committee at the Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Knowledge Forum composed of experts from “Intaj (production) Society” and the Engineers Union, to set recommendations and digitize the services provided to citizens, and submit these recommendations to the competent authorities.

For his part, Engineer Ahmed Samara Al Zu'bi, Chief Engineer, expressed his pride and gratefulness for attending this scientific day hosted by Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization (TAG-Org), the leading organization in Jordan and globally, stressing that the Union is looking forward to digitizing and providing all its union and engineering services electronically, which is expected to facilitate the work of the Union and its engineers.

Zubi said that the dream of "digital Jordan in 2020" is no longer possible with the steps taken towards e-government today, according to acknowledgment by the the government requesting swift intervention in this sector to overcome obstacles in areas of funding and skills, through building effective partnership with the private sector.

During the opening session, Dr. Malik Al-Amayreh, head of the Electricity Division at the Engineers Union, said that the significant increase in Jordan's population has led to an increase in the unemployment rate, especially among the youth which has reached 40%, adding that the developmental policy in Jordan is negatively affecting sectors of society.

The President of the Society of Computer and Communication Engineers, Hisham Al-Qattan stressed that the special attention paid by His Majesty King Abdullah II Bin Al Hussein since assuming his constitutional powers to the subject of  e-government is the greatest evidence of His Majesty's desire to develop this sector, stressing the importance of this meeting for proposing a joint vision that fulfils the ambition of His Majesty in a (digital Jordan) that leads to a desired and favorable knowledge economy.

During the scientific day, several discussion sessions were held on "Present and Future Government Services", the future of e-government, smart cities, government services and smart cards that serve citizens among other topics.