‘48% of Jordanians have not used e-gov’t services’

AMMAN — More efforts are needed to acquaint the public with the benefits and necessity of using e-services, the government said, as figures showed that 48 per cent of Jordanians have not used any e-government service.

“Many people still prefer the traditional ways to complete transactions,” ICT Minister Majd Shweikeh said at an event on Thursday held by the Jordan Strategy Forum (JSF).

There are 100 e-services available at present in various government institutions, including the Department of Lands and Survey, the Traffic Department and the Greater Amman Municipality.

An additional 50 e-services will be launched in 2016 and 70 more in 2017, according to the minister.

Figures released by the JSF during the event showed that 48 per cent of citizens have not used e-services in the country, while 20 per cent are unaware of the available e-services.

Of around 817,000 transactions at the Traffic Department during this period, around 27,000 were conducted online, Shweikeh said.

Public-private partnerships are fundamental to boost the country’s ICT sector, but civil society and young entrepreneurs’ engagement are key assets to fuelling growth, the minister noted.

The private sector, she added, must be ready to revamp its business models as per the recently issued tax exemptions and incentives. 

The minister added that regulations governing the implementation of government incentives to boost the ICT sector will be ready and announced in two weeks.

“Following these incentives, private sector companies need to take the initiative and show us how they have benefited from these incentives that they have been asking for,” she added. 

Also speaking at the event, JSF Chairman Omar Razzaz said the ICT Ministry is implementing “a new work model”, adding that it should be seen as “a role model by other ministries and government entities”. 

Razzaz called for drafting a consultation law, with the views of the private sector taken into account.

The Jordan Strategy Forum is a non-profit organisation that represents a group of Jordanian private sector companies engaged in promoting Jordan’s economic growth.