Innovate to succeed

Jordan’s innovation culture and forward-thinking society have produced a suitable environment for fresh ideas, disruptive technology, and a flourishing startup ecosystem.

Evidence:

• Jordan offers one of the region’s most vibrant environments for innovation, research, and development. That is mainly due to the high availability of qualified human resources, the liberal and forward-thinking society, which promotes state-of-the-art technologies and fresh ideas.
• Jordan’s ranking in the Global Entrepreneurship Index improved 23 positions between 2014 and 2018 (going from 72 to 49). In addition, Jordan outperforms the region in product innovation, technology absorption, competitiveness, startup skills, and cultural support indicators.
• The government issued the Jordanian Artificial Intelligence Policy in 2020 to enable artificial intelligence technologies applications in digital government services and create suitable opportunities for innovation and entrepreneurship.
• The country launched the REACH2025 initiative in 2016 to streamline the digital transformation of the Jordanian economy.
• The government of Jordan has been enhancing the number of e-government services available to transform the way stakeholders interact with and participate in the government.
• Jordan’s innovation ecosystem is driven by a modern world-class ICT infrastructure with reliable and redundant international telecommunications connectivity.
• Jordan continues to foster an innovation-enabling ecosystem; it has managed to capture the attention of several global tech giants:
  • Oracle and Cisco[A1]
  • Microsoft, in 2017, opened a new Customer Service and Support Hub, making Jordan the company’s second global setup location. [A2]
  • Expedia (a travel giant) decided to capitalize on the talented local software developers by opening its own office in Jordan’s capital.
  • The sale of the regional company, Souq.com, which hosts more than 400 employees in Jordan as its major technology center in the region

• Jordan’s technology entrepreneurs have shaped the region’s tech scene in the last decade with Maktoob, Souq.com, Arabia Weather, Mawdoo3, and many others.

• The first project of its kind in Jordan and the Middle East, the Tafila Wind Farm is a 117-megawatt project producing 400-gigawatt hours per year.

• The Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship is playing a significant role in enhancing and empowering the different economic opportunities under the tech-non-tech activities, including the gig economy.