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Jordanians are proud of the fact that, per capita,
they have more doctors, engineers and technicians
than countries like Singapore and Ireland. One of
several overriding themes that one hears in Jordan
is of its wealth in human capital. Many believe
that it is not yet being fully utilized, and that
the country continues to suffer from the brain-drain
phenomenon, so common across the world, as many
of the best and brightest head off to the Gulf States,
or North America in search of opportunity.
"The IT sector is very promising for us,"
said Jordan’s Minister of Industry and Trade,
Sharif Ali Zu’bi. "We have 6000 IT graduates
per year. This is a huge potential. Some companies
here [in Jordan] are outsourcing to places like
India and China. We need to find our niche’s,
like in the medical arena…because we are a
center of medical excellence, or in defense IT."
Recently Jordan gained international attention
for having made strides in the development of fuel
cells as a research team from the Center for Applied
Industrial Research, in Amman, tested its first
hydrogen fuel cell. Although the technology is being
expanded upon worldwide this is a milestone for
Jordanian science and technology. Known as the Proton
Exchange Membrane (PEM), this fuel cell has been
under development for 15 years and is viewed as
a promotion of the engineering and manufacturing
industries in Jordan.
In terms of practical usage, PEM technology can
be incorporated into automobile engines, and hopefully
serve as a replacement, or in augmentation of the
internal combustion engine. There is also interest
in using this technology in computers—as a
source of power for laptops, whereby one will no
longer have to recharge a battery.
As a country that is not resource rich, especially
in terms of hydrocarbons, advances in fuel cell
technology can go a long way towards creating self-sustainability
in terms of oil based power needs. In regards to
electricity, an ample supply of which is so important
in research and development, "We are well supplied
and well connected," said Minister Zu’bi,
noting that Jordan is part of an overall grid linking
Egypt, Turkey, Syria and Iraq.
The same lead scientist in development of the PEM
project was instrumental in carrying out applied
industrial research in a joint venture between the
King Abdullah II Design and Development Bureau (KADDB)
and Jordan’s Royal Scientific Society, creating
high tech industries that can then attract investors
from around the world.
Partnerships, be they in the form of joint ventures,
academic alliances, public/ private partnerships,
are an important facet in Jordanian plans to achieve
economic growth. Nowhere is this more evident than
in IT. "Our leadership sees partners in communications
IT as very important to the growth of the sector,"
said Omar Alkurdi, Minister of Information and Communications
Technology.
The quest to acquire technological know- how and
to create a climate for technological advancement
in Jordan became more imperative in the year 1999
during the height of the Internet boom. In addition
to His Majesty, the current ambassador to the United
States, His Excellency Karim Kawar, has been especially
energetic about growing the IT sector in order the
meet the needs of the Jordanian market place, says
Sabri Tabbaa, CEO of int@j, an information technology
association headquartered in Amman. According to
Tabbaa, out of this concept sprung the REACH Initiative,
a USAID funded program that laid out a clear plan
of action to bolster the country’s IT sector
and maximize its ability to compete in local, regional,
and global markets.
What REACH did was take a critical look at Jordan's
strengths and weaknesses is-à-vis other relevant
competitors. Most importantly, it outlined a 5-year
plan, specifying actions to be implemented-by the
private sector, the Government, and by other stakeholders-to
ensure a favorable place for Jordan in the Internet-based
e-economy.
In the words of His Majesty, "It is time to
widen the scope of our participation in the knowledge
economy from being mere isolated islands on the
periphery of progress, to becoming an oasis of technology
that can offer the prospect of economies of scale
for those who venture to invest in our young available
talent."
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Jordan 
