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The Electronic Government in Jordan Training in IT Data Bases IT News New IT Web Sites The Electronic Government in Jordan Jordan launched at the end of September the first action plan for e-government. The plan which is designed by the Economic Consultative Council will implement few fast-track projects within the next year. The plan involves interaction with the government on three levels. One level would involve services in government to government ( G2G). The second level would be interaction of the citizen with the government ( G2C), and the third level would be interaction between government and businesses ( G2B). The fast-track action plan will facilitate the citizen’s access to government information and services and enhance the citizen’s participation in the democratic process. A series of reforms would be taken in the sectors of education, infrastructure, and legislative and regulatory framework to ensure the implementation of the plan. The fast-track projects will be implemented in 2001 in the following government departments: the social security and taxation, procurement, licensing, real estate services, and the government intranet including the government yellow pages.
Training in IT Twelve IT workshops conducted by REACH included the following : - Training of Trainers by Intaj Intaj, sponsored “ The University Alliance “ workshop to develop the educational system and the necessary training tools to meet the needs of Jordan’s expanding IT industry. -Electronic Banking by Reach State of the art electronic banking was one of the twelve courses conducted by Reach and directed to bankers, lawyers and government employees. -Workshop on IT Strategy Formulation A workshop on the basics of IT strategies was conducted by Reach and Intaj .Intellectual Property Rights and E-Commerce: a Conference The Centre participated in a conference on Intellectual Property Rights and E-Commerce. The President of the Centre presented a paper on “Domain Name Policy in Jordan”. World Trade Centers Associations Forum The forum entitled “ Jordan 2000 Convention”, was a showcase for Jordan’s potential and its investment opportunities in the IT sector and other related subjects. The 2nd Conference for Computer Simulation MESM 2000 was conducted under the patronage of HRH Prince Al-Hassan. The conference was organized by the University of Philadelphia, the Society for Computer Simulation and IEEE. METS þ2000 : an Annual ExhibitionThe Jordan Computer Society hosted METS 2000 from Sept. 25-28, 2000 at the new Zara Expo Convention Center. IT Security Workshop Etech Security held a workshop concerning computer security and hackers. The workshop was mainly directed to banks and government departments. Data Bases The Plants of Jordan Databank The National Center for Agricultural Research and Technology Transfer has computerized its plants databank. The database includes around 1200 species of the local plants of Jordan. The database is available for interested researchers and scientists. IT News Government Activities in IT The Institute of Public Administration : Train and Retain Workshop A workshop on training and retaining human power in IT was conducted by the Institute of Public Administration. The aim of the workshop was to train the staff in using the computer for decision support and for effective performance. Jordan Investment Corporation The Jordan Investment Corporation has finalized the computerization of all its processes. Computers, software and hardware have been upgraded and staff trained to be able to meet the challenges of the future. Prince Hussein Ben Abdullah Center for Information Technology King Abdullah the Second inaugurated the Prince Hussein ben Abdullah Center for Information Technology at Safawi in Al-Badia region. The Center was established by the Jordan Badia Research and Development Program. The equipment was contributed by the Ministry of Education. The Program was executed by UNDP, the National Information Centre and the Jordanian Armed Forces. The Program will help children in the Jordanian rural areas to get acquainted with computers and information technology. Children will be able to attend lectures of some European Universities via a special satellite installed for this purpose. Moreover, the computers will be available for the children for hands on experience on the Internet and to facilitate access to the NIS information site. The Restructuring of the Ministry of Post and Communication To meet the demands of the accelerating changes in the IT sector and to be able provide more effective services, it has become imperative to restructure the Ministry of Post and Communication. Specialists in communication and information technology, from the private and public sector, met in a special gathering in the Dead Sea to study the possibilities of restructuring the Ministry of Post and Communication. Amir Program, which is concerned with supporting the development of business in Jordan is also participating. The meeting would also discuss the strategy of a ministry of information technology and recommend its establishment. The Ministry of Industry and Trade: Companies of Limited Liabilities Database The Ministry of Industry and Trade has computerized the database of the Jordanian companies of limited liabilities. The database which includes around 6500 companies will help the Company Controller manage the companies effectively and in a timely manner. The Ministry of Education and the e-government In a move to facilitate inquiries in a user-friendly environment, the Ministry of Education published two of its annual lists on the Internet. One was the student list of Tawjihi exams results. The second was the list of accepted students at the universities of Jordan. The move was the first of its kind in Jordan. Its importance lies in involving fresh school graduates and university candidates in the e-government and the information age. Bid No. ( 28/2000) The Ministry of Education invited bidders to participate in an International Competitive Bid to computerize the schools of the Ministry of Education. The closing date of the bid was 01/10/2000. IT-Specialized QIZ at JUST A $100 million Qualifying Industrial Zone project was endorsed last month by the Jordan University for Science and Technology and Jordan Boscan Group, a joint venture between Jordanian, Arab and American investors. The QIZ will serve as the Silicon Valley of Jordan. It will be constructed on a 4000 dunum and will employ 40000 Jordanians. It will be called the CyberCity. Dept. of Civil Status & Passports : New Electronic Identity Card The Department of Civil Status and Passports will issue a new electronic identity card for the citizens of Jordan. The card is computerized and it will include comprehensive information about its user. Electricity Company The Electricity Company has computerized its processes to better serve the public. Ministry of Public Works & Housing The Ministry of Public Works and Housing has computerized its administrative processes including finance. A web page is being designed . It will go on display on the internet as soon as it is ready. The address will be at http://www.mpwh.gov.jo.The One Thousand Computers Project: Stage One Finalized By distributing 547 computers on seven new computer labs, the University of Jordan would have finalized stage one of the one thousand-computer project. The computers, which are connected to the Internet, would be used by the students. The National Jordanian Building Council : Building Codes Computerization Project The National Jordanian Building Council has finalized a project of computerizing the building codes of Jordan. The database is available on a CD and it includes thirty-two computerized codes. The project was conducted by the National Jordanian Building Council and The Royal Scientific Society. Jordan-Kuwait-bank.com The bank of Jordan-Kuwait has recently initiated a new service known as the mobile bank. The client will be able to access his/her bank account via the mobile phone where he/she will be able to check the account and request standard transaction performance. Maktoub WAP System Maktoub.com hlaunched its new WAP service which allows users of mobile phones to send and receive email from their mobiles wherever they may be. Computerization of Libraries Petra University conducted a regional workshop on library computerization. Participants in the workshop came from different Arab countries in the region. UNIFEM : Arab Women Networking Project: UNIFEM Western Asia is launching an Internet networking/training project called “Arab Women Connect”. It is funded by the EU and the Women in Development Information Facilitation Initiative and by the Government of the Netherlands. The project aims to explore the potentials and applications of new information and communication technologies for Arab Women’s empowerment. It also aims at providing greater access to information resources on Arab women to policy-makers, researchers, donors, UN agencies and Arab women’s organizations through the use of e-mail and the Internet. Training will be held on using the Internet and email so that users may utilize this new medium for enhancing their areas of work and expanding their advocacy and lobbying networks. New IT Web Sites www.it.jo In its efforts to build a national database of the available qualifications in human power in IT, Jordan launched on the Internet last month, an on-line database of Jordanian qualifications in IT. The database provides an application form to be filled by anyone who has an IT related specialization. The database will be used in planning the information society of the twenty-first century and in the development of the information technology in Jordan. www.amman.net This is the address of the first local broadcasting station on the Internet from Jordan. The site was launched by UNESCO and sponsored by Greater Amman Municipality. The staff has been trained by UNESCO on the skills of managing a multi-media broadcasting station on the internet. |